Slow Coming Day
by Stephanie18
Summary: Something The Comittee has could solve the problems of the world, but they only care about the transgenic situation. Well, what happens when this something falls into the transgenics hands? And what about the damn Familiars? Light ML. COMPLETE.
1. PROLOGUE 2013

Slow Coming Day 

Full Summary: In 1993, the government began secretly working on a project that would help them solve the problems of the nation. The project was forgotten a few years after the Pulse... until now. The Committee, desperate to end the transgenic situation, sends for the project and is surprised with what they receive. And what happens when the project falls into the transgenics' hands? And why do the Familiars care? 

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel, ain't that a shocker? The only thing I own and care about it Aaron. The other characters I make up along the way... well, they're mine to but I don't care if they end up robbing banks after this story, so long as they stay good for me now. :) 

A/N: I've had this idea for a looooong while, and I decided to put a DA spin on it. It's "watered down" so to speak to fit in the DAverse, and there are fewer elements of it, since, hello, this is Dark Angel, not my idea. In the first few chapters Max and the gang don't appear, but they come in soon. Also, no 'ships for a bit. Undertones though. But I won't tell you who cause I want you to read despite the 'ship. 

  
  


  
  


  
  
Dr. Alan Tiede walked along the well-lit, sterilized corridor swiftly. He didn't need to think about his path anymore; the route had become so familiar to him that his feet automatically carried him to his regular destination. He passed many doors, which led to empty rooms, on his way and not once had he ever glanced at them. They all looked exactly the same, even the courtesy of numbering them hadn't been put into play. 

He stopped in front of the nineteenth door, the only door which led to a room with something in it, and looked at his watch. 9:15am. He jotted the time down on the sheet safely secured to the clipboard he was carrying, then curtly rapped on the door three times. 

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a man of twenty with bushy hair and piercing blue eyes. He said nothing and just stepped away from the door so the Doctor could enter. The Doctor smiled and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. 

"How are you doing today Aaron?" The Doctor asked and took a seat in the only chair in the room. 

"Very well, thank you." Aaron replied sat on his bed. He was very used to the Doctor's visits by now and knew what he wanted to hear. After all, that was what he was best at: knowing. 

"That's good to hear." The Doctor said in an offhand matter. He scribbled something down on his clipboard, then looked up at Aaron, the smile still firm on his face. "Did you sleep well? Any dreams?" 

"Very well." Aaron told him. "I statistically had as many as seven dreams last night, as all humans do." 

The Doctor sighed, just barely audible. "I know, but what dreams do you remember?" 

"I dreamt of a dog." Aaron recounted. "This dog, it was a mutt, it spoke to me in Polish. I'm not sure what it said to me, since I did not learn Polish. After he finished telling me whatever it was that he was saying, he barked and ran off and I felt upset." 

"A talking dog?" The Doctor repeated as he wrote it all down on his clipboard. 

"Yes, sir." Aaron replied. 

"That was certainly an odd dream." The Doctor said and looked at him. 

"Yes, sir." 

The Doctor smiled and stood up. "Well, that will be all for this morning. I will escort you to breakfast." 

"I would like that." Replied Aaron, though he showed no signs of that being true. 

Of course, Aaron rarely responded to things emotionally. He had been conditioned since birth to not be emotional and not let emotions interfere with his thinking. His thinking was most important, especially to the government, and they didn't want anything to jeopardize their progress. 

The Doctor opened the door and allowed Aaron to go first. They walked along to the cafeteria in silence for most of the way, but the Doctor couldn't help but ask the question that he had been working on with Aaron since the year before. 

"Aaron, tell me, how do we bring the economy back to its former status, before the Pulse?" 

"You will receive the answer when the time is right, Dr. Tiede." Aaron replied. 

It was the same answer he had received every time he had asked the question, and that was a flaw in Aaron. He had been designed to solve the nation's problems, but he had never been conditioned to solve them when requested to. True, he did solve many of the problems brought to him, but few questions he insisted the world was not ready for their answers. And he never explained why. 

"Here we are." Dr. Tiede said when they stopped in front of the swinging double doors that led to the cafeteria. "I will see you this afternoon, Aaron." 

"Thank you." Aaron said and gave a small nod, then disappeared through the doors. 

Dr. Tiede lingered for a moment, then turned to walk back to his office and file his latest report on Aaron, but when he rounded the corner, he came face to face with Colonel Walsh. He stopped in his tracks and looked over the Colonel, wondering what he was doing in this wing of the hospital. 

"Dr. Tiede." The Colonel greeted with a nod of his head. 

"Colonel." Dr. Tiede replied, nodding himself. 

"You'll have to come with me." The Colonel told him. 

Without objection, Dr. Tiede followed him down the corridor and into an empty office. But the office wasn't so empty after all. The Vice President himself, Jon Emerson, was seated behind the oak desk and two high-ranking military officials Dr. Tiede didn't recognize were flanking him. 

The room was suspiciously dark, the only light coming from a small desk lamp that gave the Vice President an eerie presence. He motioned toward the forest green suede chair in front of the desk. "Sit." 

Dr. Tiede gave a nervous nod and moved over to the chair. His stomach did a leap when he heard Colonel Walsh close the door behind him with a tiny click that somehow seemed to echo throughout the foreboding room. 

"You are, I'm sure, wondering as to why you are here. Am I correct in saying this?" Emerson spoke. 

"Yes, sir." Dr. Tiede mumbled. 

"As you are aware, the administration has had much interest in Project Voltaire since its conception." 

"Yes, sir." 

"Recently," Emerson continued. "The Project has been discussed, and though it had been found to be useful in the past, it was decided that the man -" 

"Aaron." Dr. Tiede interjected. He could have sworn he saw Emerson's lip curl into a sneer, but the dim light made it impossible to tell for sure. 

"Yes, Aaron." Emerson continued. "It has been decided that he hasn't made any great contributions to the nation, as was the plan for him. I regret to inform you, Dr. Tiede, that your presence will no longer be required on the Project any longer, because we're terminating it." 

"What?" Dr. Tiede blurted out. "You're terminating it after twenty years? You can't do that." 

"I'm afraid I can, and have." Emerson said and stood. "It's been a pleasure." 

"But -" 

"The decision is final." Emerson interrupted. "The papers have all been signed, everything is official." 

"What - what will happen to Aaron then?" 

"I suspect he will be terminated." Emerson told him. "We cannot afford to lose him to a foreign government, as I'm sure you can understand. Now, you have the rest of the hour to pack up your things and leave this hospital. The Colonel will be in touch with your new assignment this evening. Good-bye." 

With that, Emerson and his military escorts left the office. Colonel Walsh stared at Dr. Tiede for a minute or two, before he grunted, "You'll have to leave now." 

Dr. Tiede just nodded and left the room. He wandered the halls, deep in thought. He could not let the fact that he had spent twenty years of his life working on the Project only to have it ripped from underneath him in a nanosecond go. He cursed when he remembered he had left his clipboard in the office. He sighed when he realized that he wouldn't need it anyway. 

It was then he realized where he was: at Aaron's door. He looked at his watch, knowing that Aaron would be in his room, waiting for their next session. He looked up and down the hallway, then slipped into the room. 

"Hello, Dr. Tiede." Aaron greeted. 

"There's no time for pleasantries now." Dr. Tiede said hurriedly. "We - we have to get out of here." 

"But why?" 

"The Project's been terminated." Dr. Tiede explained in a hurry. "They're going to terminate you as well." 

"That would not be for the best." Aaron said and stood. "I've just gone through the scenarios and the most likely -" 

"Not now boy!" Dr. Tiede said. "We've got to go!" 

Aaron nodded and the pair slipped from the room. They crept along the halls, careful not to be seen by Emerson or any of the military he had brought with him. They managed to reach the back exit of the hospital, and Dr. Tiede put a hand on the door knob, but Aaron grabbed his arm. 

"There is a silent alarm on this door." He said, then pointed to the window above the door. "I will give you a boost." 

Dr. Tiede nodded, then allowed Aaron to lift him up to the window. He managed to climb through, with some difficulty. After Dr. Tiede was through, Aaron managed to clamber out himself, and landed much more gracefully on the pavement than Dr. Tiede had. 

Dr. Tiede smirked. "I guess that's a plus of being genetically engineered." 

Aaron only nodded, then a moment later tore the lab coat off Dr. Tiede. "It is too suspicious." 

Dr. Tiede nodded, then led the way to his car. They were able to hide behind a group of nurses and orderlies who were just dismissed from the hospital, and managed to slip into Dr. Tiede's car and drive off unnoticed. 


	2. CHAPTER ONE 2021

The door to the dark board room opened, letting in a few stray beams of light. Four people entered the room in a very stiff manner. The first to enter the room, the leader, stood in front of the long mahogany table before him, and the other three assembled in a line behind him and stood at attention. 

The members of The Committee sat in their places, motionless. Their faces were masked by the darkness, and only a few members faces were touched with light from the windows with closed blinds opposite them. Finally the man at the head of the table, the Head of The Committee table spoke. 

"I see you've brought the soldiers we requested." 

"Three of the finest, sir." The leader replied. 

"You mean three of the finest of what we were left with after the Manticore situation." A female voice spoke. 

"Yes, ma'am." The leader said. "They are, however, some of Manticore's finest and best, even before the situation. They'll be of great assistance in securing him." 

"It is in your best interest that they are, Mr. Strauss." The Head told him. "The transgenic situation at Terminal City needs to be dealt with immediately, and we see the only way of that happening is for us to have the cooperation of the man of Voltaire." 

"We will bring him to you, as you wish." Strauss replied, then saluted the man. He turned to the soldiers behind him, all X6s, and grabbed a folder from the table behind him and handed it to the one in the middle. "Your mission and all that you need is in that folder. You know what you have to do. Dismissed." 

"Yes, sir." All three soldiers barked in unison then marched out of the room. 

"He will be delivered to you." Strauss said without turning to face The Committee. 

The Head spoke again. "For your sake, he better be." 

Strauss swallowed the lump in his throat and left the office. 

One of the female members of The Committee, code-named Seven, turned to face the Head. "What will become of Strauss if he delivers us the man?" 

"The question is not if, but when." The Head replied with a smile, though no one could see it. "And Strauss will most certainly have to be terminated. The Manticorelings will be allowed to live, temporarily." 

"But why?" A man, code-named Four, grunted. 

"We'll keep them around for a bit, but if they do not prove useful in six months they shall be terminated as well." The Head told him. "We can't afford to have any more transgenics on the loose." 

The pencil clutched in his hand snapped in two. 

* * * 

Strauss sat in his office, a bottle of whiskey and a glass sitting on his desk. His face was buried in his hands as memories of his early days at Manticore filled his head. For some reason, he couldn't manage to shake them. Any of them. 

_"Be aware!" Lydecker snarled, only inches from his face. "They are only children on the outside, but the hearts of dedicated soldiers beat within them! Never forget that!" _

"Sir!" He barked as a reply. 

"Dismissed." 

He poured himself a glass of whiskey, looked at it a moment, then threw it against the wall with a scream. The sound of the shattering glass was therapeutic, but only for an instant or so. He buried his face in his hands once again and Lydecker's words filled his head. 

_"If they fail, it's my fault." _

"When you're in charge of them, you're in charge. Their success - or failure - is dependent on you." 

"Never underestimate them..." 

"Don't let them get the best of you. Ever." 

"The destiny is the same for us all..." 

"It all comes back to Manticore, doesn't it?" 

He growled and threw the whiskey bottle against the wall. He slumped back in his chair and watched the liquid drip down the wall, a satisfied smile on his face. 

* * * 

X6 587, 469, and 385 made their way noiselessly through the deep forest that would lead them to their target. 587 put up a hand, stopping the others. He turned to them and made a few swift hand motions. 385 nodded and handed him the file. 

He opened the folder and pulled out the map. **Not far.** He signaled. 

**What do we do if he's not alone?** 469, the only female of the three, signaled. 

**Terminate the others.** 587 signaled. **They are not the objective.**

469 and 385 nodded, then 587 tucked the file away, then signaled for them to keep going. 

After thirty-seven minutes and twelve seconds (385 had been counting in his head), the trio reached the edge of the forest. A neat circular clearing had been made and a modest, comfortable-looking house sat in the center, some of the windows glowing gently. The trio crouched down behind a large pine and huddled together. 

587 pointed at his companions and signaled, **You secure the man and I'll search the house for others.**

469 and 385 nodded, then the pair crept to the back of the house. 587 watched them disappear then pulled his gun from his jacket and slid in a clip. He counted to ten in his head, then swiftly moved to the front door. He flattened himself against the wall near the door, hiding himself away from view from the window. His heart began beating faster and harder and if it had not been a moment of battle, he would have smiled. This was what he was built for and he enjoyed every minute of it. 

He heard 469 and 385 burst in through the back door with a scream, then he let out a battle cry himself and kicked down the door. He pounded over the wood, shattering the small window in it. He held his gun out and scanned the room. Seeing no one, and hearing 385 and 469 pounding up the stairs, he moved on to the next room. Then the next, then the next. Then he came to a closed door and listened hard. He could hear breathing inside. 

Without hesitation, he kicked down the door and rushed inside. He found himself face to face with the barrel of a shotgun. Instinctively, he dropped his weapon and held up his hands. This scenario had been part of his basic training: make the enemy feel as if they have the upper hand, then take over the situation. 

"Who are you?" The man said shakily. 

"I think you know." 587 replied coolly and straightened. 

The man tightened his hold on the shotgun and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know -" 

"Come on." 587 said. "We all know who you really are... Dr. Tiede." 

Dr. Tiede began to shake, but managed to get hold of himself. He took a deep breath and continued. "How did you -" 

"None of that is important." 587 interrupted. "And I have no time for any of this." 

Before Dr. Tiede could do anything, 587 lashed out, knocking him backward. He tried to regain his hold on the shotgun, but 587 kicked it from his hands and did a few backward handsprings back to where he had strategically dropped his gun, and landed gracefully on his feet. He quickly grabbed the gun and trained it on Dr. Tiede. 

"You're not the objective." 587 said, then shot. 

Dr. Tiede's lifeless body dropped to the floor, blood trickling from the devastating bullet hole in his forehead. 587 glanced at him, then turned and left the room. He found 469 dragging the unconscious man down the stairs. He had the face of the man (plus a few years) in the picture of the folder, though his hair was no longer bushy, but short and gelled. 

"Was he trouble?" 587 asked, noticing the cut above 385's eye. 

"He moved like us." 385 said. "It's like he was from Manticore, but we know he wasn't. I'd like to know about that." 

587 pulled the file out and read it over. He looked at 385 with a somewhat confused expression. "He's genetically engineered too." 

He handed the folder to 385, who accepted it eagerly. He read it over, mumbling comments as he read it. "He had the same training as us... but he was born before us. Does - does that mean he's a transgenic? Was he the beginning of Manticore?" 

"No." 587 replied. "His DNA hasn't been mixed with any others, just been enhanced. He is missing some traits X series were given, for example, he has no cat DNA so he can't adjust his vision." 

"It also says that he was built to be a mind." 385 said as he read more of the file. "Instead of being built to fight, like us, he was built to protect what was most important to whoever made him, his mind. He was supposedly designed to solve the world's problems." 

"Sounds like a stupid idea to me." 469 remarked. 

587 shrugged. "People were weak then. They didn't understand that problems couldn't be solved without logical thinking, like soldiers think." 

385 handed 587 the folder, then grabbed the man around the middle and threw him over his shoulder. "We should probably go. The Committee will want him immediately." 

587 nodded and they moved out. 


	3. CHAPTER TWO Escape and Evade

Aaron's eyes fluttered open and he sighed. He sat up and looked around the room he was currently in. It was a very shabby cell, the only accommodations being the ratty mattress he was currently laying on and a table with a jug of something and a glass a few steps away. He looked out through the bars, then laid back down. 

Statistically, there were at least two guards flanking the two sides, guns at the ready. And it would, statistically, take them 5.7 seconds to subdue him with the tasers they obviously had; if they had gone through the trouble of sending three transgenics to capture, and not kill, the guards would be under strict orders. 

He turned over on his side, facing the wall, and decided to get some sleep. After all, he couldn't do much of anything stuck in the cell. 

* * * 

The door to the board room closed quietly behind the three transgenics. All the members were sufficiently happy with their success, but no one more so then the Head. An eerie smile situated itself on his face and didn't seem to have any intentions of leaving. 

"What is next?" Four asked. 

"First, the transgenics are to be terminated." The Head told them all. "It was quite obvious that they had read the file, and it's not known how they will react to such news. We can't have that liability walking around. Seven, Nine, you are aware of what needs to be done." 

"Yes, sir." The members code-named Seven and Nine said together, then got up and left the board room. 

"I think it would be best if we did not ask him what we really wish to know." The Head continued. "He will know that we want him for that mind of his, so lets not let him know that he could possibly be terminated after he gives us the answer we want. We'll ask him a few trivial questions first, then slip in what we really want answered, and end with a few more trivial questions so it seems as if he's safe." 

"So, we will be terminating then?" Three questioned. 

"Yes." The Head told him. "For the same reasons that he was to be terminated the first time. His technology - his mind - can't leave this country. It would be disastrous." 

"Are we going to build a relationship of trust first?" Six asked. 

"We do not have the time to do that, unfortunately, so we will have to be cautious every minute he is in our custody." The Head answered. He opened his mouth to say more, but a tiny red button underneath his end of the table began glowing brightly. He pushed his chair back so the other members could see the red glow. "Something's gone wrong with the transgenics." 

Four pulled out a phone and speed dialed a number. It took only seconds before there was a response. He said into the phone calmly, "There is a situation with three X6s... Find them, and you are authorized to use deadly force. No, in fact, this is a termination. Move." 

He folded up the cell phone and tucked it back in his pocket, then returned to his former stoic position. After a moment, the red glow disappeared and the Head returned to his normal place at the table. He gave a small sigh, then continued. 

"Now, onto other business..." 

* * * 

587 got behind the guard and wrapped his arm around his neck. He kept the man in the headlock until he lost enough oxygen and fell unconscious. He let his body slump to the floor and looked at 469 and 385, who were dealing with men of their own. 

"Move! Move! Move!" 587 commanded and the three began running down the corridor. 

They ran until they found themselves in an unfamiliar part of the building, but weren't bothered because there appeared to be no guards. Until they turned the corner, however, and saw two guards standing on two sides of a cell. Acting instinctively, they rushed forward and disarmed the men, then 469 and 587 knocked them out. 

"Your best bet would be leaving through the next exit that's coming up." 

They all turned and looked in the cell, finding the man called Aaron they had captured earlier. Knowing that he would surely be killed, 587 tried to unlock the cell door, but he wasn't finding much luck. 

"Don't bother." Aaron said. He was still laying on the bed and had made himself comfortable. "Just go." 

587 looked conflicted, but ultimately turned to 469 and 385 and nodded for them to move out. The two ran before him, and he held back and stared at Aaron. He felt that they were in the same boat. Neither asked to be created or go through what they had, but they both did anyway. After Aaron gave him a look and raised his eyebrows, 587 sighed and ran off down the corridor. 

He managed to catch up 469 and 385, who were waiting at the exit door for him. They all slipped out, the door closing silently behind them. 469 and 385 looked at him, their faces asking "Where do we go from here?" 

587 pointed to the woods nearby and they all ran like they had never run before. 

* * * 

The slapping of many feet against the tile of the floor disturbed Aaron, causing him to roll onto his back and sigh. Two transgenics, one male and one female, stopped in front of his cell and glared in at him. Then the many guards who were with them caught up with them and stopped behind them. 

"Where did they go?" The female demanded. 

"Outside." Aaron answered simply. 

Their glares turned to snarls, but they decided not to do anything about - or to - Aaron at the minute, and just turned to the guards behind them. 

"When we get out there, separate and spread out!" The male barked at them. 

"Remember," The female added in an equally harsh voice. "This is a termination!" 

One team of guards followed the male back the way they came (obvious to Aaron that they would be taking the front) and the female lead her team down the corridor (obviously covering the rear.) 

He couldn't help but smile. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He knew that if the guards spread out and separated, there would be no way they could take the three transgenics on. They didn't have half as many people as they should have and the transgenic leaders appeared to be sloppy. This, he realized, was how twelve nine-year-olds slipped past hundreds of guards. 

* * * 

587 slowly picked up a fallen branch and crouched behind a tree. He counted to three, then jumped out and swung the branch at the head of an approaching guard. It connected with a satisfying _crack_ and the man fell to the ground. 587 was quick to grab the man's gun and continue on. 

469 was just ahead of him and moving fast. She hadn't met with any guards so far, and was quite pleased with that, but she knew better than to let her guard down even for a second. She knew 587 was behind her and had taken out a guard, but didn't stop to watch. Spectatorship often led to death. She hurried along, seeing the end of the forest finally. She smiled a bit, letting for that one-second for her emotions get the best of her. She broke through the edge of the forest and ran down the incline that led to a road. She stopped and stood next to 385. 

587 broke through the forest finally and ran down to join his companions. He ordered them to split up and meet at their arranged place. The two nodded and rushed off in different directions. He held back and scoped out the surrounding area. He knew a military convoy, or seven, would soon be thundering down the road before him, so he quickly moved out. 


	4. CHAPTER THREE Rendezvous Point

587 felt uneasy walking the streets without the gun he had taken from the guard, but he knew he couldn't very well walk around the city with it, so he regretfully left it behind before he entered the city. He walked along for a few miles before he reached the mouth of an alley. He looked around to make sure there was no one, then walked down until he reached the end. Seeing he was alone, he stamped three times on the manhole cover, paused, then stamped three more times. 

A window of the building to his right flew open and 469 crawled gracefully through. She closed the window silently and walked over to stand next to 587. They both looked around, but could not see 385 coming for any direction. Confused, they looked at each other. Then, to their surprise, the manhole cover slid off and 385 popped his head out of the hole. All three smiled then 587 and 469 joined 385 in the sewer. 

**This way.** 587 signaled and pointed ahead. The other two nodded, then followed him. 

* * * 

"We're out of lettuce." 

Max closed her eyes, then dropped the pencil in her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. She hoped that when she looked up, Alec would not be standing in the doorway ready to tell her that they had virtually no supplies. She looked up, saw him there, and sighed. 

"Why did we have lettuce in the first place?" Max questioned. "Who here eats lettuce and has apparently eaten it all?" 

Alec shrugged. "I'm just the messenger boy." 

"Well someone oughta shoot you." She mumbled and focused her mind on the plans she had been working on before Alec had visited. 

"Ah, it's one of those days." He said and leaned against the door frame 

Overcoming the feeling to get up and slap him until unconscious (she didn't care which of them ended up unconscious, just so long as she didn't have to deal with him at the moment), she looked at him. "And what does that mean?" 

"Now, before I tell you, don't bother replying because I know exactly what you'll say. It's one of your favorite gems." He began. She began to open her mouth, so he spoke quickly. "It's one of those days where you're so incredibly preoccupied with Terminal City junk, you go around with a 'Bitch, Imma kill you' look on your face, ready to kill, pussycat, kill." 

She just sat there silently. She would've liked to tell him something, but as he had said, he already knew what she was going to say. He grinned. 

"Get outta here before I kick your ass." He said, then chuckled to himself and walked off. 

She tried concentrating on her work again, but couldn't help but wonder if she really said that that much. Was it her catch-phrase? Should it be? How predictable was she anyway? Did other people besides Alec mock her usage of the phrase? Was it a big joke? Was she a big joke? 

"But the t-shirt..." She muttered to herself, then decided that she didn't care and went back to her work. 

She wasn't working long, however. A few minutes later, Joshua came pounding into the room. He slammed on her desk to get her attention, then stuttered a bit before getting out what he really wanted to say, "Lil fella, Joshua - Joshua came to tell you, uh...uh... oh! New people! There's - there's new people." 

He smiled goofily and Max pushed her chair back and stood, trying to keep the, as Alec had described it, 'Bitch Imma kill you' look off her face, then followed Joshua to where the new arrivals were. When they got there, she couldn't even see them. There was a small crowd surrounding them, and no matter what she said, none of them seemed keen on moving. Finally, Joshua grabbed her around the middle and pushed past everyone. He set her down in front of the three nervous-looking arrivals. 

"Thanks, Big Fella." Max said, then turned to the new arrivals. "And who might you be?" 

"They're X6s!" Someone in the crowd shouted out. "They stayed with Manticore!" 

"We can't trust them!" Another exclaimed. 

"I'll decide that." Max said loudly, then when the crowd had calmed, she looked over the X6s. "So, what're your names?" 

"I'm 587, this is 46 -" 

"Not your designation. Your names." Max interrupted. 

"We have none, ma'am." 587 told her. 

Max smirked. "Drop the Manticore vocab, and follow me to my office." 

The crowd parted to allow them past, though no one took their eyes off of them. Those who had shouted out looked at each other with worried looks on their faces. Max and the three pretended not to notice any of it and just walked along until they reached her makeshift office. It was just a room with a squeaky metal desk, a chair or two, an empty filing cabinet and bookshelf, and a never-used stapler Max called Gus. 

"So," She said and leaned against her desk. "What brings you to the lovely Terminal City?" 

"Well," 587 answered. "We were at Manticore and we had just finished a mission, successfully, and - and they sent people to kill us. We got out of there as fast as we could and we realized then that all those Eyes Only cable hacks and stuff in the news about Manticore was true." 

"We had been talking about Terminal City for a little while." 469 continued. "I mean, a city of transgenics where they didn't have to be anything but themselves seemed like a good deal, but at the time we didn't have a reason to leave Manticore, so we didn't." 

"When we talked about it," 385 started up. "We agreed that if we ever had to leave Manticore, we would definitely come here. When I was sent out on a mission in the city, I scouted the area and found a sewer that led here, so that's how we made our plan to come here. We didn't think we'd ever need it though." 

Max nodded. A silence settled over them that none was eager to break, but Max figured that she'd go insane, so she spoke up. "So, no names, huh?" 

* * * 

Mole finished talking to the X6s that had expressed doubts about the newbies, then walked over to where Alec and Dix were talking. He grunted and removed the cigar from his mouth, then jabbed a thumb in the direction of the X6s. "They say that the one kid, 587, was a CO and damn dedicated to Manticore." 

"I'm gonna wait on Max." Dix said. "I don't need an ass kicking." 

Before Alec could make a remark about that, all the heads in the immediate area turned to stare at Max and the others as they walked back from her office. Everyone was silent as Max stepped in front of the three. 

"They're cool." She announced. Then she moved aside so everyone could see them. "And they've got names now. Orion, TJ, and Spring. Welcome them, or... I'll kick your ass." 

She walked back to her office, smiling to herself. 587 (Orion), 385 (TJ), and 469 (Spring) had never felt so awkward before in their lives as they stood before the other transgenics. Max had told them to just blend in, but they weren't currently seeing how that was possible. 

"Well, since I don't need an ass kicking," Alec said with a smirk and strolled over to the trio. "Welcome. I'm Alec, and I gotta say you came up lucky with the names. Usually she names newbies crap like Day or Plate." 

"Plate?" Orion repeated. 

"She hasn't used it yet." Mole replied as he walked over. "But we've got a pool going for how long it takes her until she does. I'm Mole, by the way." 

"Dix." He introduced. "And I've got six months in the pool." 

The trio looked at each other, not quite sure what to make of the situation, but decided that it wasn't all that bad. 


	5. CHAPTER FOUR Outreach

When his cell door opened, Aaron sat up. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed, then stretched and stood. He reached his arms up in the air, then touched his palms together and bent at the hip left and right multiple times. After he felt he was sufficiently limber, he walked to the open door and stepped out. His emotionless expression didn't change when he looked at the angry transgenics and guards who would be escorting him. 

"We're authorized to terminate you if you try anything funny." One of the transgenics (the male from the failed recapture of the trio) snarled. "And I myself am looking for any reason to snap your neck, so watch your breathing." 

Aaron looked the transgenic over, then replied in a flat tone, "Simply terrified." 

The transgenic's hardened expression faltered, and he wondered if Aaron had known that The Committee hadn't really given him orders to terminate. In fact, they specifically said that if he was harmed at all, he would be the one to be terminated. But he figured that Aaron couldn't possibly have known... could he? 

He pushed the thoughts from his mind, and likewise pushed Aaron forward. "Move." 

* * * 

The Head of The Committee looked over the list of trivial problems they would ask Aaron to solve before they brought up the transgenic issue. He smiled at his own genius, basking in the glow of the fact that he was about to outsmart supposedly the smartest man on the Earth. He was brought from his egotistical musings when the door opened and Aaron stepped inside. He looked the man over, not seeing what was so extraordinary about him, just that he appeared to be a bit more attractive than the average genius. Nevertheless... 

"Mister..." 

"Aaron. I don't have a last name." 

"How... unique." The Head spoke, then handed the list of problems to the man on his right and watched as the list made its way down to Aaron. "I'm sure you are quite aware of why we have brought you here." 

"Yes, sir." Aaron said and accepted the list. 

"Well, that is a list of what we would like you to take care of." The Head told him. "If you would like to take it back to your -" 

"No, I can complete it here." Aaron interrupted as he flipped through the list. 

Four spoke up. "But surely -" 

"Two, may I borrow your pen?" Aaron asked, ignoring the outburst. 

The man known as Two looked a bit flustered, but took the pen from his jacket pocket and handed it to Aaron, wondering how he had known it would be in his pocket. As Aaron poured over the list, he decided to ask. "How did you -" 

"You're a man of business." Aaron replied and clicked the pen. "Every member of this Committee has a pen in the building, but statistically six of the thirteen present have left their pens in their offices, or other such places. You, being a man of age, will statistically be more likely to be concerned about always being prepared. The younger members will be prepared in other senses, knowing all the facts for example, but your age makes you practical. It's just a matter of common sense." 

They all sat stunned and silent, even the Head. His hopes of outsmarting Aaron seemed less and less. 

"Ah, here it is." Aaron said when he had reached the sixth page of the list. He scribbled something down, then flipped back to the first page. He handed Two his pen, then slid the list down the table to the Head. "I've answered what you really want to know." 

More curious than he'd ever been before, the Head flipped to the sixth page of the list and looked at the fifth question on the page, the one that Aaron had answered. 

**What would you propose be done to take care of the transgenics at Terminal City?**  
_You will receive the answer when the time is right._

The Head looked up at Aaron, his mouth hanging open. He made a small wheezing noise, then closed his mouth and swallowed the lump in his throat. His thoughts raced through his head a mile a minute, but he finally managed to slow them down and process the moment properly. "How did you know?" 

"I was made to know." Aaron said simply. 

"What's happened?" Five asked eagerly. 

The Head passed the paper down the table and let each member read it themselves. They all stared at Aaron in the same way as the Head had, in an utterly confused and disbelieving manner. A silence fell upon the room, none of the members knowing what to say. 

* * * 

Orion wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He had been running laps in an empty corridor of one of the bigger buildings in Terminal City, mostly just to keep himself busy. He found his new freedom odd. Instead of waking at dawn like he would at Manticore, he had woken up at 10am. 10am! He was quite shocked, as were TJ and Spring, that he was allowed to sleep that long. They asked a nearby X7 and he explained to them that they were allowed to sleep as long as they wanted. 

He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths. After his breakfast (a banana and a bowl of something called "Lucky Charms") he walked around with TJ and Spring, just exploring their new home. They managed to find the empty corridor he was in now and each had claimed one of the empty rooms for their own. 

That was strange to him as well. His own. He'd always shared everything with his brothers and sisters, and never minded. It was just the way of Manticore, to share and be one. Independence wasn't on the top of the list, ever, and now he found that he would have to be independent because he could only count on himself in this new world. Sure, TJ and Spring would be there, but what if he was alone? Alone. He'd never been alone before. Terminal City was a whole new world to him, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. 

"Orion?" 

Orion shook his head to clear his thoughts and saw Spring standing near him, looking down at him. He smiled up at her. "Yes?" 

"Or, 3 - I mean, TJ and I were talking and we decided that we want to tell Max about Aaron." 

Orion thought that over. Aaron was back at The Committees facility, contained in a cell, that he knew. He didn't know much else about him than what was in his file, and even that was only basic information. _Built to know_ the file had said. He wanted to know what that meant desperately. He rolled the risks around in his mind, then remembered that Aaron was genetically engineered, like himself. Then the thought that neither of them got to have real childhoods or decide how they wanted to live. And that to Orion made him family. 

He pulled himself to his feet, looked at Spring, and nodded. 

* * * 

Max leaned against the door frame, watching Logan work on his laptop. She frowned unconsciously as the thought of giving him a hug was quickly followed by a vision of him laying on the floor, pale and with death in his eyes. 

"Knock, knock?" 

Max blinked at the sound of his voice. "Huh?" 

"That's usually your opening line." He replied and turned in his chair to face her. 

"Right." She said, obviously distracted. "Sorry. It's just one of those days." 

He frowned. "But I don't see the 'Bitch Imma kill you' look." 

She rolled her eyes and he chuckled. "God, does he tell everybody?" 

"Pretty much." Logan smiled. "Anyway, what brings you here?" 

"Just dropped in for a visit." She shrugged. "I haven't seen you in a few days." 

"I've just been helping Dix and Luke." He replied and turned back to his laptop. 

"Right." She said quietly. She stared at the back of his head, knowing that they had both been ducking out of sight when the other was approaching. It would have been charming in a first grade crush kind of way if they hadn't both been doing it out of fear and a brand of angst that was all their own. 

He was about to turn around and tell her something, but her cellphone rang shrilly, interrupting him. He heard her curse quietly then pick up the phone. 

"Yeah? ... Fine. I'll... be right there." She sighed and flipped the phone closed. She looked back at the back of Logan's head, but he turned around and she found herself staring into his eyes. She tried to say something, but turned and looked at the ground. She braced herself, why she had to she didn't know, and turned to look at him again. "That was Mole. The newbies wanna talk to me and - and it's kind of important." 

"See ya then." He said, his mouth unusually dry. 

"Yeah, see ya." She replied and quickly left. 

* * * 

Orion stared out the window in Max's office and watched the police and protesters around the building, wondering why they even cared at all. He couldn't see anything special about transgenics, besides the obvious genetical superiority, but other than that, weren't they all just human? 

"You guys wanted to talk to me?" 

He turned around and saw Max standing in the doorway. He walked over to TJ and Spring, who were standing near Max's desk. He looked at them, then at Max. "We wanted to tell you about the mission we were on before we left. The one that was really why we were forced to leave." 

"You guys really don't have to tell me that." Max told them and moved to sit behind her desk. "You're starting anew." 

"We know." TJ said. "But it's because of what the mission was." 

"We were supposed to capture a genetically engineered superbrain." Orion said. "The Committee wanted him and we had to get him. Well, we got him and now he's a prisoner of theirs." 

"We want to get him out." Spring added. "And - and we want your help." 


	6. CHAPTER FIVE Rescue Missions

A/N: Nutmeg, thanks. I didn't even realize. I've read most of Star24's stuff, but somehow I missed that one. I actually had two titles planned for the story, and Glory Days just won the coin toss, and this actually turned out well because the other title is better for the story anyway. :) 

  
  


  
  


  
  


The Committee members stared at the Head, looking for guidance. Aaron had been sent back to his cell so they could discuss the problem he was bound to present. So far the Head had found himself unable to say much of anything after what had just happened. He finally let out a breath and looked at all the members. 

"He is going to prove to be problematic." 

"Indeed." Four muttered, unimpressed. 

"What do you plan to do about him?" Seven asked. 

"I'm not sure yet." The Head told her. "He could be quite useful, but at what cost? His message was clear, at least to me. I believe he wants us to prove ourselves before he answers our queries." 

"And do we have time for that?" Two asked. "It would seem as if we're running out of time in the Terminal City case." 

"The transgenics have made no move to lash out." The Head replied. "I think we are safe for the time being." 

"For the time being, yes." Eight said. "But what about the future? The transgenics won't be content in Terminal City forever. They'll want to branch out and integrate with regular people." 

"Regular people will never -" 

"And what about the breeding cult?" Six chimed in. "They're making progress toward the transgenics." 

"I'm considering all these matters." The Head growled. "I will deal with the situation." 

* * * 

Max looked around her office, studying every face in the room. She had told her "inner circle" the trio's plan and was looking for opinions on it, but no one seemed especially eager to make a comment. They all just looked at each other, obviously knowing that they were thinking the same thing but no one wanted to say it... so the rest turned to stare at Mole. 

He sighed. "Why should we risk all our necks for one guy who got left behind?" 

"Because he's just like us!" Orion exploded. 

Mole sneered. "Oh? So he's got my lovely complexion does he?" 

"That's not what I meant." Orion replied quietly. 

"Well news-flash O-boy," Mole continued. "If we went in after every transgenic to get left behind, we'd all be either back in Manticore or dead. And I for one don't want to end up in either situation." 

"He's got a point." Alec mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. 

"I guess we'll have to do it ourselves then." Orion said. 

He left the office, followed by TJ and Spring. 

"Joshua wanted to help." He said quietly. 

"What?" Mole asked. 

"He's engineered." Joshua said. "Like Joshua, like Max, like us. He's like us. Now he's in a cage. Cage is whack." 

"Now _he's_ got a point." Alec sighed. 

"So, are we going to do it or what?" Max asked, looking at them all. 

* * * 

Orion sat on the blanket that currently served as his bed, his brow furrowed. TJ and Spring sat down next to him and were silent. They knew that when he needed to think, he needed peace and quiet. He could also be a very moody individual, so they didn't want to bother him too much. 

"We'll have to go in alone." He said finally. "If they won't help." 

"We're with you." TJ said. 

"I'm glad someone is." Orion mumbled. 

* * * 

The Head of The Committee walked through the exit door, dropping the title as soon as he had been clear of the building. He walked over to his car and gently placed his briefcase on the top of the car as he searched his pockets for his keys. Just before he was about to unlock the door, he became aware of footsteps behind him. Slowly, he turned around. 

He saw a man he only knew as Murray standing behind him, a cigarette held tightly between his two fingers. He nodded and took a drag of the cigarette. 

"Peter." 

"Murray." 

Peter's mouth grew very dry as he watched Murray studying him. He knew that when a Head of The Committee was visited by Murray, it never ended well. The end was usually termination... and if they were lucky they only lost their jobs. 

"I'm sure you're aware of why I'm making this little visit." Murray said, the hand holding his cigarette falling rigidly to his side. 

"I assume it has something to do with the man of Voltaire." Peter replied, trying to sound unconcerned. 

"It has everything to do with that man." Murray told him. "You weren't authorized to capture him, or ask anything of him." 

"I've always been led to believe that the transgenic situation was to be solved immediately, and by using any means necessary" 

"Not when it involves disobeying direct orders, Peter." Murray said and pulled a gun from his belt. "I'm afraid you know too much for me to just let you go." 

Peter tried reaching into his coat for his own gun, but it was too late. Murray had pulled the trigger and the bullet had slammed into his chest before he could even get his hand on his gun. He wheezed, then fell against the car and slid to the ground. 

Murray tucked his gun away, then took out his cellphone and dialed a number. "Come clean up the mess, and send for Fourteen." 

* * * 

Orion expertly unlocked the door and slipped inside. He looked up and down the corridor, waited a beat, then signaled for TJ and Spring to follow. They slipped inside behind them and the three made their way to the cell. They found hardly any security, which was surprising to them. 

He peered around the corner, seeing the two guards that were stationed there before, though this time they looked considerably more bruised. He ducked back around the corner and looked at TJ. 

**Give me the gun.** He signaled. TJ nodded and handed him the tranquilizer gun they had 'borrowed' from Max's office. He peeked around the corner, then raised the gun and fired. The first dart hit the first guard squarely in the neck. He staggered a few steps, then fell to the floor with a thud. Before the second guard could properly react, he fire the second dart and it managed to hit the man in the back of the hand. The guard pulled the dart out and walked forward a ways, then tripped over his companion and fell to the floor. 

Orion nodded, then they made their way to the cell. Spring began working on the lock while TJ and Orion watched opposite ends of the corridor. Aaron walked over to the cell door and peered down at Spring. 

"You've probably been caught on the cameras." He told her flatly. "More guards and, I suppose, a few of the leftover transgenics are coming along right now." 

"He's probably right." TJ said, worry in his voice. "How's the lock?" 

"Manageable." Spring told him. "But I'll need more time." 

"We don't really have a lot of that." Orion said as he adjusted his hearing. "They're close." 

"Just keep them away for a few more minutes." Spring muttered as she continued working. 

As TJ watched a hoard of guards, led by his sister X6 683, rushing toward him down the corridor, he seriously doubted he would be able to do that. Without hesitating, he fired a few shots at them, but only managed to hit two guards, and he didn't get them good enough. They were limping, but they were still coming. He ran back so he was only a foot or so away from Spring. "You done yet?" 

"A few more minutes!" She exclaimed as a bullet whizzed by her head. 

There were a few more gunshots, then Orion came and joined them. He looked at her, but didn't ask the question because he had heard her answer. In no time, their brother, X6 838, rushed forward and tackled Orion to the floor. It wasn't long after that 683 appeared in front of TJ and wasted no time in beginning to fight him. 

"Statistically you'll never make it." Aaron said, obviously bored. Spring decided to ignore him. 

Orion managed to push 838 off him and jumped to his feet. Before 838 could get up, he delivered a swift kick to the side of his head, sending his head slamming against the wall. He moved in for another, but 838 grabbed his foot and twisted, causing him to spin and fall to the ground. Seizing the moment, 838 pulled out his gun and pointed it at Orion's face. 

"I'm the CO now." 838 said in a triumphant voice. "I'm the leader now and now you take orders from _me_." 

"I'd rather you shoot me." Orion snarled. 

Meanwhile on the other side of the hall, only a few yards away, TJ managed to head-butt 683 and push her into the wall. He smirked as he remembered all the times he had beaten her in training, and knew he could beat her now. All that quickly left his mind when she signaled at all the guards behind her, and they all rushed forward and pinned him to the ground. He tried pushing them off, but found it impossible. Frantic, he craned his neck to call to Orion, but he saw 838 shoot and Orion fall to the ground. He screamed, but was quickly silenced when a guard standing above him knocked him on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but failed. 

"Got it!" Spring screamed as the lock made a _click_. She smiled and reached to open the door, but 683 charged at her and tackled her. Somehow she managed to grab 683's wrists and toss her backward, giving her enough time to get back on her feet. 

683 got up herself and immediately put up her fists and took a fighting stance. They circled each other for what seemed like an eternity before 683 rushed forward, grabbed her arms, then threw her roughly into the waiting arms of 838. He held her tightly and grinned. 

It was not a grin to stay, however. There was an odd sound of footsteps all around, though none of them were moving, not even the guards. They all stopped to listen and wonder where the noise was coming from. But soon they knew. 

"Outside." Aaron said and pushed his cell door open. 

He was right, of course. The footsteps were coming from outside... on the building. Someone was scaling the building. 838 was about to instruct the guards to go and find out who it was, but he didn't have time. A figure suddenly crashed through the tiny window above them and landed gracefully before them all. 

"This where the party is?" 

"Max!" Spring exclaimed. "You came!" 

"Had to make an entrance." Max shrugged, then quickly whirled around and kicked the guard that had been trying to sneak up on her. She then looked up at the window and whistled. 

Alec came in through the window, landing next to Max. Then the door that the trio had used to enter the building flew off its hinges and Mole and Joshua ran up the corridor, throwing guards aside like rag dolls as they came. 

For a moment there was an eerie stillness as everyone in the room regarded one another. Deciding she might as well break the tension, Spring slammed her head back, connecting with 838's face. He released her and stumbled back, blood spurting from his nose. It was then everyone took action. 

Joshua and Mole began working on knocking out and injuring as many guards as they possibly could. Joshua grabbed two, then slammed their heads together and let them fall in a heap. Mole shot one that was trying to run down the corridor, obviously hoping to get reinforcements. The man fell against the wall, then slumped to the ground. 

Two guards rushed at Max from both sides, so she just simply jumped up and kicked her legs out, connecting with both of them and sending them flying to the ground. She turned to look at Aaron, wondering why he was just standing in the doorway of his cell. Another guard came at her and she had to abandon that train of thought so she could turn and elbow the guard in the face and send him flying to the wall. 

683 charged at Alec, managing to land a few punches. He ducked her last one and reached up to grab her wrist. He turned quickly, pulling her arm behind her back and twisting. It broke with a crack and he sent her sailing into the bloodied 838. He looked around for more guards, but could see none. 

Mole slammed the last guard into the wall violently, causing him to black out and slide to the floor. He turned to Max. "We should move." 

Max nodded. "Joshua, would you please carry TJ? And Spring can you help Orion?" 

Spring nodded and helped Orion to his feet. She looked at his hip, which was bleeding pretty badly, and decided to put on a good front and not mention to her half-delirious brother that it didn't look so good. She followed Joshua out of the door they came. 

Mole looked at Max, then followed the others out. Max turned to Alec and jerked her head toward the exit. He frowned but didn't argue and left with the rest. She then turned to Aaron. "Coming?" 

Aaron thought this over. "I suppose." 


	7. CHAPTER SIX Bloody Termination

The drive back to Terminal City was rather quiet, no one really knowing what to say. Finally, Aaron spoke. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming to rescue me. Statistically I would have been terminated in 2.3 weeks." 

"How do you know that?" Alec asked. 

"I was built to know." Aaron told him simply. 

"Ah, well. That totally and completely answers my question." 

"So," Max said, hoping to avoid some kind of argument. "You're genetically engineered, huh? Are you transgenic or...?" 

"I'm not a transgenic." Aaron told her. "I'm just genetically engineered. My creation was not a matter of brawn, but of brains. I do have certain physical enhancements that help me protect the technology, my mind." 

"What exactly does 'built to know' mean?" She asked. 

"The nation had been having problems, mostly things the public had no idea about, and the government decided to build a machine that could solve any problem put into it." He explained. "But the machine was flawed and had only a 15% success rate, so they decided to create the perfect mind, which is me. I am the first to admit that I am not entirely perfect. I work on statistics and common sense, my knowledge is based on fact and basic knowledge. I have only a 97% success rate statistically, though I have not failed yet." 

Mole grunted. "So you want a cookie or something?" 

* * * 

Fourteen, now the new Head of The Committee, looked over the members and smiled. "As you notice, I am not Thirteen. Last night he was contacted by Murray and I was thrown into the picture." 

Many of the members flinched at the phrase 'contacted by Murray,' knowing fully well what it really meant. Most of them had been rather pleased by Thirteen's time as the Head, since he had been one of the most successful Heads in The Committees run. But, they knew, that is why he was probably dead by then. 

"The man of Voltaire has been captured by the transgenics, but that is currently not The Committee's concern any longer." Fourteen told them. "It has been moved to a new department and I suggest all of you forget there was ever any involvement with the Project." 

"What will we be doing now?" Four asked. 

Instead of answering, Fourteen took a gun from his jacket and shot all the members, only sparing Two, Seven, Four, and Eight. He tucked the smoking gun away afterward, then turned to Four with a smile. "Downsizing." 

* * * 

Aaron watched as the Terminal City medics (a mixed group of X5s and X6s who excelled in the area in Manticore) working on removing the bullet from Orion's hip. He finally stepped forward and pointed to three areas around the wound. "Apply pressure to those points, remove the bullet while putting pressure here, then hold pressure here for 7.5 seconds, then sew him up and he'll be fine." 

"How do you -" 

"Just listen to him." Alec interrupted when he entered the room. "Your knowledgeable presence is requested in Max's office." 

He gave a little bow and smiled sarcastically. Aaron looked him over and walked past him. They walked together to Max's office, Alec leading the way. 

"Your majesty." Alec said when they reached the door, gesturing for Aaron to go first. 

"Ah, your wit is ever so amazing." Aaron said before entering. "I can't help but think it's disguising something deep down. Bitterness or guilt, most likely." 

Alec glared at him and Aaron walked past, not bothering to react to Alec. For a moment Alec considered going in after him and sitting in on the conversation, but he felt it would lead to a 'Bitch Imma kill you' look and he didn't need that now, so he walked away. 

Aaron found Max sitting at her desk, papers scattered around it. She was reading one of them, but put it down when he entered. He nodded to Spring and TJ, who were standing on the side of the desk. "Hello." 

"Okay," Max began. "I'm not one for sugarcoating, so... I have no idea what the hell you are, besides for the whole _built to know_ spiel." 

"That is all I am." Aaron replied. "Just built to know, a man, and not much more." 

"But that's just it." She said and pulled out the file on him that TJ had managed to save. "This says that you're some big deal, and here I was thinking I was special." 

Aaron's face lit up with recognition. "You're 452." 

"My name is Max." 

"Yes, but your Manticore designation is X5 452." Aaron continued. "I was asked about you, by Sandeman. He came to Dr. Tiede and asked to have a session with me. Dr. Tiede agreed and we sat together, near a lake somewhere in the countryside in the East, and he asked me how to create the perfect soldier - the perfect human being. He wanted you to be free of junk DNA and he wanted to code messages into your very skin, but he didn't know how. I told him how." 

"Sandeman?" She managed quietly. 

"Yes." Aaron continued. "I was only seven or eight at the time, but I had already mastered most genetic material and was able to give him a sufficient plan that would help make you free of the junk DNA that plagued all other transgenics and human beings. I myself even have some junk DNA, but it's only a few strands, just what they couldn't weed out." 

"You... when you were seven you... designed me?" 

"No." Aaron told her. "Your design had been set out for months, as was every generation of the X5s. I merely gave Sandeman the information that would allow him to make you free of junk DNA and to have the release of the symbols correspond with his former cult's plans. It only took that one meeting to give him what he needed, and I haven't seen the man since." 

Max sat in silence, trying to make something out of all this new information. She sat back in her chair, allowing Aaron to see all the files on her desk. He bent over them, grabbed her abandoned pen, and began jotting things down. 

"You're on the right track with this." He mumbled. "But you've forgotten this one segment, and it's a rather key one." 

"What?" She muttered, still distracted. 

"It doesn't matter now." He said and flipped to another page. "I've fixed it." 

She just nodded, still processing what he had told her. A little voice in the back of her mind wondered why he was bothering with the supplies for Terminal City, but that voice was so very quiet compared to the one screaming about her genetics. 

"You were very close." He muttered as he kept writing things down. "But not close enough it seems. I imagine it would've taken you years at the rate you were going here, but you weren't built to know, so it's forgivable. And this bit here, that should really move to this side, so it blocks it..." 

The voice in Max's head silenced and she looked at him. "What?" 

"Nothing." He told her and put down the pen. "I was just fixing up some of your errors here. You don't mind if I have a look around the place, do you?" 

"No, go ahead." She told him. 

He smiled at her and left the room. TJ and Spring looked at each other, then followed him out, eager to ask him questions. Max sighed and picked up the water system plans Aaron had been fixing... but they weren't the water system plans at all. 

* * * 

Four watched as the last body-bag was removed from the dark board room, then turned to Fourteen. "What will this downsizing accomplish?" 

"The less people in the know about The Committee, the better." Fourteen told him. "You have been spared because you are of the most use, and will be able to help in bringing the transgenic situation under control." 

"And how are we going to go about doing that?" Two asked. 

"Seven and Four will oversee the termination of the current transgenics we have in our possession." Fourteen explained. "Eight will be sent to the front lines of Terminal City, and will instruct the forces there. And you will stay here and make sure everything runs smoothly." 

"And what will you be doing?" Four asked. 

"That information is on a need to know basis, and you do not need to know." Fourteen told him coldly. He would've gone on but his cellphone rang. Ignoring the others, he answered it. "Yes? ... Really? ... So I'll need to be there immediately? ... Of course, sir, of course ... Good-bye." 

Without a word, he stood up and left the room. The members looked at each other and were silent for a few minutes as they wondered if they could really trust Fourteen. 

* * * 

Aaron felt a hand on his arm, then he was whirled around. He wasn't very surprised to see Max standing in front of him, holding the papers he had fixed for her. 

"Is this - will this work?" She asked. 

"Of course it will." Aaron told her. "I designed it. I was built to know." 

"And you're sure?" 

"Completely positive." 

Not knowing what else to do, she pulled him in for a hug. She let go a second later and quickly ran off. He stood for a minute, wondering why she had bothered with a hug. No one else ever hugged him when he solved his problems, and the only one to ever say 'Thank you' was Sandeman. He shook his head and continued his walk. 

* * * 

Seven pushed the door to the barracks of the first group of ragtag transgenics that had been left behind, pulling a cart of medical supplies behind her. She closed the door, then turned to address the various X series. 

"If you'll all line up, you'll receive a new vaccination." 

Without question, most of them lined up, ready to offer her their arms. Only one hung back, and he grabbed the last in line and pulled her back. 

**I don't trust it.** He signaled. 

The girl, the last in line, shook her head. **Why not?**

**Why a vaccination now? Why now?**

**New diseases pop up all the time.**

He shook his head and pleaded with her. Their talking went unnoticed by Seven. 

"After you've got the injection, you might want to lay down as it will most likely make you very tired." She told them all. She was already halfway through most of them and hoped that the ones who had already received the injection stayed alive long enough for her to finish and leave. 

She had gotten to the last three of the transgenics when the door opened and Four stepped in. She caught a glimpse of his cart before he closed the door. She said nothing and injected the third transgenic. He rubbed his arm and walked back to his bed. 

"I finished." Four told her. "Did he tell us what to do after?" 

Seven turned to face him as she filled the needle again. "He didn't tell me anything." 

The last transgenic pointed to the first to get the injection. The girl watched as the first shook his head at them, wheezed, and then closed his eyes and stopped breathing. She took a step back away from the cart and turned to look at the last. 

**948,** She signaled. **I don't want to die.**

**We'll have to fight them.** He signaled back and nodded toward Seven and Four. 

She nodded then stepped forward in mock cooperation. She held out her arm shakily, but before Seven could plunge the needle into her arm, she grabbed the woman's wrist and twisted it, causing it break. 

Seven dropped the needle, causing it to fall to the cart with a clatter. She looked at the X6, horrified. Before she could do much else, the transgenic girl pushed the cart, causing it to tip over, then moved forward and snapped Seven's neck. 

Four quickly reached for his gun and trained it on 948, who was ready to lunge at him. He held the gun tightly and said shakily, "You - you stay away from me!" 

Ignoring him, 948 lunged at the man and tackled him to the ground. They wrestled for control of the gun for what seemed to the girl like forever, then a gunshot rang out and 948 snapped Four's neck. He then groaned and rolled onto his back. 

The girl, horrified, rushed over to him. She pushed Four's body away roughly without a second thought, and brought 948 close to her. She looked down at his stomach and watched in horror as blood soaked through his clothes. She looked up at him and shook her head. "It's not that bad." 

948 smiled, then coughed violently and blood bubbled from the side of his mouth. "I'll - I'll be fine." 

"You will." She nodded, tears flowing freely. "You'll be all right." 

"Make - make sure you - you go." He told her and wheezed. "You - you go to - to Terminal Ci - City. You... you... go." 

She nodded and he smiled once more, then closed his eyes and his head lolled to the side. She gently laid him down and wiped the tears from her eyes. She grabbed Four's forgotten gun and cocked it, then stood and looked around at her fallen - no, _murdered_ brothers and sisters. 

She knew she had killed their murderer, but she felt as if that would never be enough. With a last lingering look, she left the room. 


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN Truths

Max looked at the scientist expectantly. "So?" 

He double checked the papers (again), then turned to Max. "It's legit." 

"Definitely?" 

"Definitely." 

"So - so that's it. Right there is what I'm looking for?" 

"Yes... and I'm positive." He added, seeing the look on her face. "This will work, permanently, one hundred percent." 

She smiled widely, but just as quickly her face fell. "How much?" 

"Well... that's where it gets difficult." He told her apprehensively. "It's not that what's needed costs a mansion and a half, but... the processes involved, I don't have that kind of equipment." 

"But could you get it?" She asked. "Could I get it for you? Could - could, God, could the equipment be gotten in any way?" 

"Yes." He told her. "But not without some serious cash." 

"How much're we talkin' here?" 

"Roughly? About... fifty-thousand." 

* * * 

Aaron stood, letting the gentle wind rush over him and not seeming to mind at all. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down at the police and protesters teaming in front of Terminal City. He shook his head, knowing that if the transgenics ever did decide to rise up and take the world on, there was nothing any of those police could do about it. He did know what they _could_ do about it, but they had never asked him so it was really their loss. 

He smirked when he saw a motorcycle expertly weave through the angry protesters and police and fly into Terminal City. He knew it was Max, and knew that she would soon come to talk to him about the price of the process he had laid out. He had known when he wrote it up that it would statistically be no less than forty-thousand, but didn't quite have the heart to tell her. 

A few minutes later, he sensed someone behind him and had an inkling it was her. He would not turn around though; he was too busy enjoying the ruckus the motorcyclist had caused amongst the crowd. 

"Fifty-thousand." 

"I was a bit off then." He said idly. "But then, I do only have a 97% success rate." 

She walked over to stand next to him, but didn't look at him, instead watched the ruckus with him. "How am I going to get fifty-thousand dollars?" 

"Are you asking me?" 

She paused, then looked up at him. "Yeah, yeah I am." 

"Well," He said and let out a sigh. "Buyers in foreign markets are looking for bits and pieces of Americana. You could probably sell one or two pieces and have it all." 

"I don't have the access." 

"People here are looking for it too." He told her, then turned and left the roof. 

* * * 

Orion's eyes snapped open and he struggled to sit up, but a hand rested on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down on the bed. He struggled against it for a minute, then gave up and looked to see who it was. He smiled in a lopsided way. "Aaron." 

"Yes, I've come to visit you." 

"So we really made it out? I passed out halfway out the door, and when I woke up I was afraid we were caught." 

"No, we made it out just fine." Aaron told him. "Everyone is quite well." 

"That's good to hear." Orion smiled. "So, how are you liking your freedom so far? I found myself a bit... freaked, as Max described it." 

"I was always free." Aaron replied. "Even in my cell, I was a free man." 

"What do you mean?" Orion frowned. 

"My life has been spent in institutions that prided themselves on having me." He explained. "And it was never about my lodgings or how I was contained, that never decided my freedom. _I_ did. I could _think_ anything and in any way I wanted, and that made me free." 

Orion nodded slightly and thought the statement over. He had worked through some of it, but before he could work on a serious assessment, there was a knock on the door frame. He and Aaron both turned to look. 

"Can I talk to you?" Max asked. 

"Of course." Aaron answered, then turned to Orion and handed him a folder. "I'm going to go now, and... I think what's in there will answer most your questions." 

He smiled then followed Max out of the room. 

Orion stared at the words on the front of the folder: The Boy of Project Voltaire. 

* * * 

Aaron followed Max into her office, and she closed the door behind them. He looked at her, two possibilities for his presence there floating in his mind. "Yes?" 

"First, you have to agree not to tell _anyone_ about this." She said. 

He nodded. "Of course." 

"Okay, well, I can't exactly just find fifty large on a street corner, and I haven't been able to tap into my sources." She said. "I need you to help me get the Americana and fence it. You'd get a piece of the action, obviously." 

"I will help you, and I will be quiet about it." Aaron told her. "But I don't need your money. I don't think - know for money." 

"I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something." She told him. "It's funny because if you caught me a year or two ago, I'd be more than happy with that arrangement." 

"The environment you live in changes you." He said. "Everyone is a product of their environment" 

"Very true." She mumbled and sat behind her desk. She paused, then looked at him again. "Anyway, I want to give you something for helping me." 

"I'll tell you what." He said. "How about you just give me a hug after it's all said and done and we call it even?" 

"A hug?" 

Aaron shrugged. "I just don't want your money." 

Max smiled, glad to have Aaron on the team. Her moment of happiness was interrupted when Joshua burst into the room. 

"Max! Newbie! All - all bloody! Crying, and - and she says there's no more!" He exclaimed in a hurry. 

"Let's go." 

When they reached the new arrival, Max was surprised to see her crying. Usually straight-from-Manticore arrivals didn't show any emotion, feeling that weakness would make them vulnerable in their new environment. She slowly approached her and kneeled down next to the sobbing girl. 

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly. 

The girl took a breath and dried her tears then turned to Max. "They're all dead." 

"Who?" 

"All my brothers and sisters." The girl told her. "The ones that were left anyway. There were only about twenty X6s left, and they came into the barracks and said they had a new vaccine. I was ready to take it, but my brother 948 said he didn't trust it, and then we watched one of our brothers _die_. I killed the woman giving the shots and - and he tried to kill the man, but he had his gun out, and they were on the floor. Then there was a shot and - and he snapped the guy's neck." 

She looked at Max, new tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought he was fine. But I turned him over and... there was blood all over him. I told him he'd be fine and I know he didn't believe me, but he said he would. Then he told me to come here, and - and then he... he died. I looked around but all the others had died from whatever was in the needle, so I left. I checked the other barracks, but they'd been killed too. Some of them were X8s... they were just kids. And now they're dead. They're all dead. All of them." 

Max put a hand on the girl's shoulder, tears forming in her eyes as well. 

* * * 

Orion read over the basic _Classified_ warning sheet, then tossed it aside and looked at the information in the file. The first page had a baby photo of Aaron and most of his babyhood stats. 

**D.O.B.** 5/10/93 

**EYE** Hazel 

**HAIR** Light Brown 

**WEIGHT** 7lbs. 6oz. 

Orion skimmed over the rest of the information, but didn't bother with most of it because it was mostly diet, stimuli, etc. The page after was titled "Mission Statement," and that seemed quite interesting. 

_The aim of Project Voltaire is to create the perfect problem solver. The machine attempt failed, but a human subject seems much more reasonable. The genetics of the specimen were enhanced in the embryonic stages to make the child above average in thinking and physical skill. The enhancements are in hopes that one day the child will grow to be an adult capable of solving the nation's problems._

He turned the page and saw a picture of 7-year-old Aaron and another short paragraph on him. 

_**1998** The boy has proven his usefulness. Recently he gave successful advice to the Supreme Court in the case of Mundlar vs. Utamsi. Later in the year he gave advice a Mr. Sandeman who is working on the fledgling Project Manticore. Details of the advice can be found in Folder C, section 18. _

The boy has certainly proven that he has been built to know. 

Orion, fascinated, read through the rest of the contents of the folder, nonstop. As he went along, he realized that Aaron had been correct; this was answering most of his questions. 

* * * 

Max had managed to calm the girl some and had taken her to her office to talk about what had happened more in depth. The girl had gone over the story again, making it clear that The Committee had no further access to any transgenics. 

"That was a horrible thing for you to go through, and I'm sorry." Max said in a comforting way. "I know my words hardly mean anything, but... they are true." 

The girl nodded. "I think I just need time to process what happened." 

"Before Joshua shows you where you can do that, it's kind of our thing here for all the newbies to get a name." Max told her. "I totally understand if you don't want to think about it right now." 

The girl thought it over, then looked at Max with a fire in her eyes. "No, I - I think I want one now. I want to be able to fit in." 

"Any ideas?" 

"I think I have one." Aaron broke in. He paused, then seeing the eager looks on everyone's faces, he smirked. "Tru." 

"Tru?" Max repeated. 

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Aaron said. "I took it from what you said before, your words to her were true, and she really is the last true transgenic to escape and come here." 

The girl smiled just a bit. "I like it." 


	9. CHAPTER EIGHT Toasts

Max stared up at the crescent moon, admiring it. She always had a spot for the moon, since it signified the time when she was really allowed to be herself. She didn't have to hide herself behind the regular girl next door image at night, no, at night she could just be the girl who liked going fast, very fast on her motorcycle and not having a care in the world. 

She heard the door to the roof entrance creak open behind her and shoved her hands in her pockets. A few seconds later, Aaron was by her side and staring up at the moon with her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it does illuminate nicely." Aaron said in a way of agreement. 

"So, did you find anything out?" 

"I found a man willing to pay thirty-thousand for a Pollock." Aaron reported. "He doesn't care which one." 

"Still short." Max frowned. 

"I also found two men both willing to pay ten thousand for a Rockwell." He continued. "One doesn't care what one, but the other wants the one that's on the third floor of the Beckley Arts Museum." 

"How long do you think they'll take?" 

"I know they'll each require a day." Aaron told her. "A few hours in the day of scouting the museums, and a few hours in the night to acquire them." 

"I wanted to -" 

Aaron held up a hand to silence her. "Just a hug." 

* * * 

The next morning, as the X5s lined up in front of the large room that had been turned into a makeshift cafeteria, Max walked past them all and into the room. Instead of cutting in line, she moved over to the transgenic that supervised the cafeteria, an X5 called Russ, her clipboard firmly in her grasp. For a minute the two just watched the X5s move past them, grabbing their allotted amount of food and going to find some place to eat it. 

"We're not doin' so hot." Russ told her. "We're low in supplies, real bad." 

"How much longer do you think it'll last?" She asked. 

"Maybe a month or so more, but that's it." He told her. "We even cut back, but it's not looking good." 

"I'll ask Aaron about it." Max mumbled and scribbled it down on her clipboard. 

"Havin' that guy around is pretty useful, isn't it?" Russ remarked. 

"You've got no idea." Max mumbled. 

She then looked at her watch, remembering she was supposed to be having breakfast with Logan that morning. She cursed, said a quick good-bye to Russ, then rushed out. She came back in a hurry a few seconds later, grabbed a brown paper bag that had an orange in it, then ran out again. 

* * 

She dropped her clipboard off on the way, not wanting to have reminders of what was in store for her that day. She was already stressed enough as it was, and just wanted some time to relax. When she reached his room, she wondered for a minute if she would ever be allowed that time. She pushed open the door, not bothering to knock, and found Logan and Aaron staring at his laptop. 

"Knock, knock." She said. 

The two turned around and Logan smiled at her. "Hi. We were just looking up some things." 

Aaron straightened, then walked over to Max. Before leaving, he mumbled to her, "I just needed to check a few things before I went out tonight." 

"Strange guy." Logan remarked. 

"Yeah, but he's not bad." Max shrugged. "You ready?" 

"As I'll ever be." 

"Before we go, I brought you a gift." She said and tossed him the bag. "The last one." 

Wondering what she brought, Logan opened the bag and pulled out an orange. He looked at her and grinned. "You really like bringing me fruit, don't you?" 

* * * 

Dix sighed in frustration and slapped the machine he was working on. So far he was having no luck in fixing it, and Mole's comments weren't really helping. 

"I bet Max could use a paperweight." 

"Well that's a shame, cause I don't see a paperweight around anywhere, do you?" Dix bit back. 

"I don't." 

Mole and Dix turned, both seeing Aaron watching them with interest. 

"And of course you would know." Mole said. 

"Well, yes." Aaron replied and moved over to the machine Dix was fixing. "I also know how to fix this. Do you mind?" 

Dix shook his head and Aaron went to work on the machine. Instead of using any of the tools Dix had spread around in hopes that one of them would work, he crossed two of the wires then closed it up. He turned to Dix with a smile. "It should be fine now." 

He walked off, leaving Dix a bit stunned. 

"He's really useful." 

"He's really _annoying_." Mole grunted. 

* * * 

"Don't peek." 

"I'm not." 

Max pushed open the door to the roof and walked out. She stopped at where she had set up a picnic scene. Granted, she was missing the wonderful view and comfy atmosphere, but she had decided it was the thought that counted. 

"Okay." 

Logan opened his eyes and looked around. He smiled at her. "Wow." 

"Great, isn't it?" She said. "Of course, it could be better, but no matter how nice I asked, the cops wouldn't go away." 

His smile widened. "Shame." 

"Ya know." She agreed with a smile, then situated herself on the blanket. She was careful to move the basket next to her so that there would be at least a small barrier between her and Logan when he sat down. 

"Prepared any Guevara culinary miracles?" He asked with a grin as he sat down. 

"No, no boiled water today." She replied. "Just what I could grab from the food locker." 

He gave a little nod, then pulled the orange from the bag and began peeling it. He peeled a piece off and rested it on the basket, knowing Max wouldn't take it from his hand. He frowned a bit at that, but decided to forget about the virus and just relax. 

"Thanks." She mumbled and picked up the piece of fruit. 

"So," He said and bit into a slice of orange. "Aaron seems like a good guy." 

"Yeah." She replied. "He's helping me... around the City with supplies and stuff. It's nice having a genetically engineered brain around. I swear he could solve any problem anyone brought to him." 

"Maybe, but he was quite keen to tell me his success rate." 

"Only 97%." She said, then opened the picnic basket. She pulled a small box of Frosted Flakes out, then opened it and began snacking on them. "So, what were you helping Dix and Luke with?" 

For a minute he wondered if she knew he had been lying to her when he said that, then realized that she probably did and was just trying to keep the conversation light and comfortable. "Just, uh, some communications plans. Nothing special." 

"Fun." She replied and popped a handful of cereal in her mouth. "Ya know what I miss?" 

"Not a clue." He replied, though he could've probably made a list of the small conveniences of pre-Terminal City life. 

"Hot baths." She said. "I haven't had one in forever. Cold water sucks. Oh, and coffee. Oh, oh, toast. I haven't had toast in months. Funny the things you miss, huh?" 

"Yeah." He agreed and pulled a small carton of milk from the basket. "Wine. I haven't any of that in a long while." 

"That was nice." She agreed and dug two plastic cups out of the basket. She balanced them on the basket and watched him fill them. 

"Pop Tarts." He said. "Man, I miss those. They stopped making them a little after the Pulse. They were good." 

"What were they?" She asked and picked up one of the cups of milk. 

"They were pastries." He tried to explain. It wasn't until then that he realized how odd Pop Tarts sounded. "But they had fruit filling in them. Some had frosting, and some were gimmicky, like chocolate chip." 

"Logan, that sounds unbelieveably disgusting." 

"They were good, I swear." He said. "You just can't describe 'em." 

He then held up his cup, for a toast. Max hesitated, but decided since she hadn't had a drink yet it would be okay, then lightly touched her cup to his. 

"To toast." He grinned. 

"And to Pop Tarts." She added. "No matter how disgusting they sound." 

  
  
  
  
A/N: And there's an undertone for ya. I think. Yeah. Maybe. I'll be quiet now. :p 


	10. CHAPTER NINE Pressure

The bike slowed to a stop and was silenced. Aaron climbed off, then Max put the kick-stand down and got off herself. They looked up at the museum before them, then Aaron peeled the backpack from his back and unzipped it. He pulled out a sheet of blue prints, then unrolled them on the seat of the motorcycle. 

"You'll go in here." He said and pointed to a skylight on the roof. "Then go down two floors and the Pollock will be on your left. It's nothing too big, but it's not the Mona Lisa painted on the head of a pin either." 

He pulled a long tube from the bag and handed to her. "Put it in there, then just come out the way you came. It shouldn't be too difficult. I've mapped out the guards and they'll be patrolling the first three floors, which gives you exactly 22.3 minutes to finish. All you'll have to worry about is tripping any alarms. I borrowed Logan's laptop and disabled the cameras until tomorrow morning, so you don't have to worry about that." 

He folded up the blue prints and shoved them back in the bag. He slung it over his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You shouldn't need me for anything, but if you do, just show up in one of those windows. I'll see you." 

Max nodded, quite astounded by his thoroughness. She rested her glasses on the seat of her motorcycle, then took off across the street. She made her way to the fire escape and jumped up onto the first landing. She peered into the window, looking for a guard. The light of a flashlight appeared at the end of the hall, so she quickly began climbing up the fire escape until she reached the roof. 

She slid onto the roof gracefully then crept over to the skylight. She peered down, and only saw darkness so she felt it was fine. She swung the bag she had off her shoulders and opened it. She pulled out the rope and quickly wrapped it around a nearby pole. She managed to open the skylight without much trouble, then dropped the other end of the rope down. She tugged on it to make sure it would hold, then slid down. 

She landed on the tile floor below without a sound. She looked around for any stray guards that might be on the floor, but saw none and continued on. She easily found her way to the door that led to the stairs that would take her to the seventh floor. She hurried along, passing the door to the eighth, and made it to the door marked with a large number seven. She peered through the tiny window in the door, again checking for guards. 

Satisfied that there were none, she pulled her lock pick from her pocket and went to work. In no time, the door had _clicked_ and she slipped through, pushing it only halfway closed after her. She looked up and down the hall, then moved to her left. She scanned the paintings on the wall until she reached the Pollock. She stared up at it, a puzzled expression on her face. She titled her head to one side, then the other. She squinted both eyes, then alternated. 

Finally, after standing on her head and turning around, she pulled herself up and shook her head. As she gently pulled the painting down from the wall and set it on the floor, she realized there was just some art one could never hope to understand. 

She freed the painting from its frame, then carefully rolled it up and placed it inside the tube Aaron had given her. She made sure to place the frame back on the wall, something inside of her hoping the guard wouldn't notice the missing painting and that would give her more time. 

Once the top was safely secured on the tube, she moved swiftly back to the door and slipped through once more. This time, however, she completely closed the door behind her. She rushed back up the stairs, not sure how she was doing on time. When she reached the skylight, she tossed the tube up through it, then grabbed the rope and pulled herself up. 

Once back on the roof, she brought the rope up behind her and quietly closed the skylight. She shoved the rope into the bag, then nestled the tube in after. She put the bag back over her shoulder, then made the climb down the fire escape. She jumped off gracefully and had looked to the street. Seeing no one, she ran across and hopped onto her bike. 

Aaron grinned and got on after her. Once he was safely on, the bike roared to life and zoomed off down the street. 

* * * 

"All I'm saying is, I saw her and that Aaron guy coming in real late last night." 

"But she's with that Logan guy." 

"The virus." 

"From what I heard, they've been battling that virus for a while now, and people are bound to go a little crazy without a little touchy touchy, feel-y feel-y." 

Joshua walked past the gaggle of gossiping X5s and X6s, not knowing what to think. He wandered into the room that had become his makeshift studio and sat before a blank canvas. He wondered if the plan was no longer Max and Logan gettin' busy. Was the new plan Max and Aaron gettin' busy? 

He wasn't so sure he liked the new plan. Aaron had seemed too smart to be trusted. It had been his experience that people that were too smart for their own good had - as Original Cindy had said to him once - 'played' people who weren't as smart. He felt that Aaron might've been doing that. He wasn't quite sure what he was playing for, but he didn't like him. 

No, he decided finally, he did not like the new plan. Not at all. 

* * * 

"Call for you." Dix announced as Max walked by. 

"Who?" She asked. 

"Original Cindy." He answered. 

Max rushed to the computer with the video phone, eager to talk to OC. She hadn't spoken to her since she and Sketchy had left to become Terminal City's buddies on the outside. OC was in charge of sending as many supplies as she could in and Sketchy was busy writing pro-transgenic articles for his rag. 

"Well, look at miss thang." OC chuckled when Max came into view. "Haven't changed much in this short span of time, have ya?" 

"Few more bags under the eyes." Max shrugged. "But other than that I'm all peachy keen." 

OC laughed. "If you're usin' dumbass sayin's like 'peachy keen' it's not exactly the same, now is it?" 

Max smiled at her friend. "So, how's life on the outside?" 

"Aiight." OC shrugged. "I'm tryin' to balance life as a secret Terminal City operative and life as an underpaid bike messenger sufferin' through Normal's bips." 

"Is it sad that I miss the bip-age?" Max asked. 

"It's more than sad." OC said. "That's straight up scary. But if it's worth anything, Normal told me that next time I talked to 'missy miss' I oughta tell you that he was holdin' your job for when you manage to get your 'slacker butt back here.'" 

"No kidding." Max grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day when Normal went soft." 

"Don't be fooled by the man's warm words. He's still actin' like he's got a stick up his ass." OC said, then became serious. "But, Boo, we're all kinda hopin' you get the chance to come back." 

"No one more'n me." Max replied sadly. 

There was a silence, then OC looked at her watch. "Damn. I gotta bounce or I'm sure Normal will be threatenin' to fire my ass." 

"Aiight. See you." 

OC nodded then her hand reached up out of frame, obviously to turn the camera off, then the screen went black. It quickly returned to the screen Dix had been working on before OC had called. Max frowned, then stood and slowly continued on her way. 

* * * 

Eight sighed and watched the police and protesters from his car. He had only been on the scene for a few days but had enough to already be bothered by what was going on. He hadn't seen any transgenics doing anything illegal or vicious in the time he had been there, and saw no real need for his presence. He even heard a few of the police discussing how needless it was for them to be there since all the transgenics seemed to be doing was staying inside the fences and keeping away from them. 

But he knew that he was there for a reason. He knew the transgenics nature was violent. He'd seen enough of them on the battlefield and in training to know that they would solve most any problem with violence, but he couldn't see how his presence would stop them from turning the situation into a bloodbath. He really hadn't done anything to aid the police, since they never came to him for _anything_. 

He was also worried about the lack of contact he was receiving from Fourteen. He hadn't heard from the man since he had left the room after "downsizing" The Committee. When Thirteen had been running things, he had always had constant contact with The Committee and was always aware of the situation. 

He began wondering if the lack of contact was a sign of something gone sideways. 

* * * 

As Max made her usual rounds that day, she couldn't help but notice the looks certain transgenics were giving her. She wasn't able to place them, but she did know that they were usually following whispers. It wasn't until she approached Russ that she became concerned. 

"Ask Aaron about the supplies?" He asked and coughed uncomfortably. 

"No." She said slowly. "I found a way myself. I'm just gonna get Original Cindy some extra money and have her pick some things up to hold us over for now." 

"Oh, so Aaron won't have to be involved then?" 

"No." She said. "It may be contrary to popular belief, but he doesn't have to be used for everything around here." 

A passing X6 snickered. "But he is useful for some things, isn't he?" 

Max glowered as the girl walked by, but didn't say anything. She turned back to Russ, the look not fading. "What was that about?" 

"I dunno." He shrugged. 

She knew he was lying but didn't have the time to beat it out of him. She grabbed an apple and left the cafeteria in a huff. Instead of finishing up her rounds, she made her way to her office and slammed her clipboard down on her desk. She walked to the window and stared out at the police below. 

She snarled and walked halfway across the room, then stopped. She stared at the apple clutched tightly in her hand, then looked at the window. She screamed and threw the apple through the window. The sound of the glass shattering made her calm for 3.6 seconds, but the frustration returned soon after. 

She sighed, the rage slipping from her, and sat behind her desk. She looked around the room, then rested her elbows on the desk and buried her face in her hands. She was quiet a minute more, then the sound of gentle sobs filled the empty room. 

* * * 

The policeman below dove onto the ground to avoid the object sailing at his head. After it had smashed into the wall behind him, he pulled himself to his feet and went to pick up part of the object. He smiled to himself, then went over to the car where Mr. Number Eight was positioned. He tapped lightly on the window and waited for the man to unroll it. After the window was down, he dropped the piece into the man's lap. 

"The transgenics have just tried to assault us with fruit, sir." 


	11. CHAPTER TEN Misunderstandings

Joshua wrung his hands, then finally let out a sigh and approached Alec. He tapped him hard on the shoulder and when the young transgenic turned around, he grabbed him by the arm and drug him to his studio. He closed the door behind him and turned to face Alec. 

"What is it?" Alec asked. "I was just about to sc - skate. I was going to go skate with that... girl." 

Joshua shook his head. "Joshua's not stupid." 

Alec sighed. "Fine, fine. So, what's up?" 

"Joshua heard talking." He said. "Some - some people say that the plan's changed." 

"Plan? What plan?" Alec replied, thinking that it was just like Max to create a plan and keep him out of the loop. 

"The plan!" Joshua said in a way that made it clear that Alec should have known. "The plan. Max and Logan gettin' busy." 

"Ah, _that_ plan." Alec smirked and crossed his arms. "What about it?" 

"They said the plan changed. They said there was a new plan." 

"What, are Max and Logan getting kinky or something?" 

Joshua shook his head. "People - people say that Max and Aaron gettin' busy." 

Alec's eyes widened. "What!?" 

* * * 

Aaron stared at the orange in his hand. He had no intentions of eating it right away, but knew that if he didn't grab it at that moment an eager transgenic would snatch it away from him, and that's not what he wanted. He rolled the fruit around in his hand, unaware of the transgenic approaching him. 

"Hey." 

Aaron was pulled from his own little world, but did not look up at the transgenic. Instead he kept his gaze focused upon the orange in his hand. "Hello." 

"So, what's up?" 

"The ceiling, the sky, and I imagine a few birds." Aaron mumbled as a reply. 

"All right, it's obvious that you know I'm not here to make idle chitchat." The transgenic said. "So, how was she? I bet she was a wild one. A bunch of us've been dying to give 'er a roll." 

Aaron looked up at the transgenic with a confused expression. For the first time in his stay at Terminal City, he had no idea what someone was talking about. "What?" 

"Max." The transgenic continued. "You know, the fox you've been hanging with." 

"I suppose she is attractive." Aaron shrugged. "But that still doesn't tell me what you mean." 

"Ah, come on." The transgenic grinned. "Don't play stupid. You know what I'm talking about." 

Off of Aaron's blank look, he continued. "Last night. Last. Night. Come on, you lucky bastard." 

Aaron nodded. "It is true I am without a father, but I've never considered myself a true bastard." 

The transgenic chuckled. "Are you dopey or something? You know what I'm talking about. It's what you were made to do, right?" 

"Built to know." Aaron said. "But I only have a 97% success rate, so I suppose you can count this moment in the 3% of things I don't understand." 

"I get it." The transgenic smirked. "You're just not saying anything. Don't wanna get her pissy, huh? Okay, I get it. See ya." 

Aaron watched as the transgenic swaggered back to his friends and told them something that seemed to amuse them greatly. His brow furrowed and he went back to staring at the orange. 

* * * 

"Joshua... how... did... what?" 

"Joshua knows." Joshua said and placed a hand on Alec's shoulder. "It's whack." 

"Is it true?" 

Joshua shrugged. "Haven't talked to Max." 

"Well, how many people know?" 

Joshua shrugged again. "Lots of people are talking." 

"Who started it?" 

Joshua shrugged, then bared his teeth. "He probably did. He's whack too." 

Alec wasn't sure what to think really, but he knew what to feel. Pissed. He clenched his fists. "Well let's go!" 

* * * 

Max tried to ignore the looks she was getting from every direction as she walked toward Logan's room, but that was very hard to do. She was more than happy to turn the corner that led to the empty, unoccupied hall that led to his room. She stopped in front of his door and knocked softly. 

The door opened a minute or so later and Logan stood in the doorway. She looked up at him, for the first time in a long time allowing him to see the weakness in her eyes. She asked softly, "Can I come in?" 

He nodded slowly and stepped aside so she could get in. He watched her move over to his bed and crawl under the covers. She pulled them up around her tightly and crawled into a ball. He thought about saying something, but realized that he wouldn't know where to begin even if he could force a few words out of his mouth, so he just closed the door and sat back in front of his laptop. He did not go back to work though. He just sat and watched her. 

* * * 

Alec and Joshua barged roughly into the cafeteria. They looked around wildly and when Joshua spotted him, they both rushed over to Aaron. Alec knocked the orange from the man's hands, then not knowing what else to do, punched him in the face and pushed him to the ground. 

"What was that for!?" Aaron explained. 

"It was cause I don't like you!" Alec exploded. 

"Yeah!" Joshua chorused. 

"And cause you're a rat bastard!" Alec continued. 

"You're whack!" Joshua boomed. 

Aaron pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked at the two angry transgenics who were currently staring him down. "And why would that be?" 

"Oh I think you know." Alec said and pushed him onto the ground again. He bent down at the hip and grabbed the back of Aaron's neck and pulled him up so that their faces were only inches apart. "We know that you lied." 

"Lied? I didn't lie about anything." Aaron replied calmly. "It isn't in my genetic code." 

"Sounds like a lie to me." Joshua said. 

Alec nodded and punched Aaron as hard as he possibly could. He then dropped Aaron's head and straightened up. He looked around the crowded cafeteria at all the gawking transgenics and addressed them. "Don't believe anything you've heard." 

He and Joshua turned to leave, Joshua throwing a few snarls at the transgenics that turned to stare at them. They stormed past most of the transgenic crowd milling in the halls and ended up in the communications area. 

"I feel... weird." Alec said and sat down. "Never felt like this before." 

"Feel kinda good, but kinda bad too?" 

Alec turned at the familiar voice and was quite surprised to see Asha standing behind him. "Yeah." 

"It's what it feels like to defend a friend." She told him. "You feel good you defended your friend, but you feel bad because you had to do it at all." 

"Is that what this is?" He asked with a smirk. 

* * * 

After fifteen minutes of silence, Max finally turned to face Logan. She pulled the covers from her face, but kept herself wrapped up. She mumbled, "Sorry. Now you'll need new sheets." 

"Doesn't matter." He replied. "Are you okay?" 

"I really don't know." She told him quietly. "I think I had my first high school experience" 

"I'm guessing it wasn't prom." 

She smiled a little. "Not exactly." 

"Mind sharing?" 

"I will." She said. "But not right now. You don't mind if I just sleep, do you?" 

"Go ahead." He replied gently. 

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. He sat, just watching her and not quite sure what to do. 

* * * 

"So, what are you doing here anyway?" 

"I brought a few supplies Logan asked for." Asha told him. "I tried finding Mr. Crusader to talk to him, but I couldn't find him so I just came down here to visit my good friend Mole." 

Alec turned to Mole with raised eyebrows. 

Mole just shrugged. "I like blondes." 

Alec chuckled and turned back to Asha. "So, you saw that whole thing I take it?" 

"Yeah." She said. "I saw you kick his ass. I didn't think I would be getting a show with my Cocoa Puffs." 

"With me, really anything's possible." Alec smirked. 

* * * 

Aaron hurried out of the cafeteria, his jaw throbbing. He pushed an X7 against the wall and demanded to know where Alec had gone. The X7 pointed him in the right direction and he flew off in that direction. He made his way to the communications area, the only logical place for him to have gone. 

He walked into the room quickly and went over to Alec. He grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him on his feet, then punched him. Before Alec could recover, he punched him again. Before he could get in another, Joshua rushed over and pulled him away from Alec. 

"No, let him go." Alec said and took a fighting stance. "If he wants to fight me, let him." 

"Alec..." Asha warned. 

"No, no." Aaron said. "This must be dealt with." 

Joshua shrugged at Asha, let Aaron go, then moved over to where Mole was standing out of the way. 

"Before I was only beating your ass cause you were causing problems," Alec said as the two circled each other. "But now I'm just doin' it for the pleasure of kicking your ass." 

"Yes, how nice." Aaron drawled. "But I don't take people assaulting me for no reason lightly." 

"No reason?" Alec repeated. "No reason?" 

He rushed at Aaron, grabbing his arms then throwing himself forward, head-butted him. He pulled back and released him, then jumped up and delivered a swift kick to his gut. He landed gracefully on his feet and was satisfied to see the wind knocked out of Aaron. Taking the opportunity, he grabbed Aaron again and tried to knee Aaron in the face. _Tried_. 

Aaron's hands flew up quickly, knocking Alec's leg away. He then straightened quickly and punched Alec. When Alec staggered back, he kicked him in the side of the head, sending the transgenic to the floor. He went to drive his fist down, but Alec rolled out of the way and his hand connected with the concrete. 

"Bet that hurts." Alec smirked as he flipped to his feet. While Aaron was still crouched down, he went forward and delivered a spinning kick to his side. They both fell to the ground, but Alec lifted his leg and brought it down on Aaron's stomach. 

Aaron cried out, but kept control of himself and grabbed Alec's foot. He jerked it to the side, causing Alec to roll. He then got to his feet and this time managed to drive his fist into Alec. After Alec screamed, he kicked him onto his back and lifted his feet, ready to slam it down onto his stomach. 

Before he could do that, however, he heard something behind him, then found an extra weight riding around on his back. A second later he felt two thin arms snake around his throat in an attempt to choke him. He calmly reached up and grabbed the arms, then flipped whoever it was over his head and onto the floor... where Alec _should_ have been. 

He turned around to look for Alec, but didn't have the chance. All he saw was a board coming at his head, and he didn't even have time to duck. The board hit him full on, sending him crashing backward onto the floor, unconscious. 

Alec dropped the board and walked over to Asha. He helped her up and smiled at her. "Thanks." 


	12. CHAPTER ELEVEN Truth Be Told

A/N: M/A-ers (I just so totally made a new word there, heh) probably won't like some bits in this chapter. I feel for you poor souls, I do. Just try and be strong for me, will you? ;) 

  
  


  
  
  
  
Aaron's eyes fluttered open and he found himself wondering how long he had been knocked out. Apparently long enough to be tied up, he noticed and looked down at himself. And he though that being tied to a chair was only something in the movies. 

"Sleeping Beauty's awake." Mole grunted. 

"Shame." Alec muttered. 

"What're you going to do with him?" Asha asked. 

"I hadn't really thought that completely through." Alec told her honestly. "I just knew that I'd be more comfortable if this lying skeezebag wasn't able to scamper off." 

"Could you please tell me why you keep calling me a liar?" Aaron asked. "It's really annoying." 

"Don't act like you don't know." Alec said and shook his head. "You're lucky only the X5s and X6s heard the crap you've been spreading and it hasn't gotten to the others yet, or you probably wouldn't have woken up." 

"What am I spreading? If I'm spreading it, I'd really like to know what _it_ is." 

"I think he really doesn't know." Asha said quietly. 

"_The plan_!" Joshua said. "The new plan. Max and Aaron gettin' busy." 

"What?" Aaron asked. "Max and I have never... gotten busy, as you say." 

"So... it wasn't you who told everybody that you did?" Alec asked. 

Aaron shook his head. "No. I didn't even know that's what people thought. Damn 3%." 

Joshua moved around to the back of the chair that Aaron was tied to and untied the ropes. Aaron stretched and stood up. He looked at them all. "Now I know what that transgenic was talking about." 

"What transgenic?" Asha asked. 

"One of them, a man, came up to me when I was in the cafeteria." He told them all. "Before Alec came. He kept talking about Max and how I was just playing dumb and how I had done something, but he wouldn't say what. Now I know what." 

"Does Max know?" Alec asked. 

"I don't know. I did notice a few X5s giving her some looks, but I don't know if she knew what they were for." Aaron told him. "I certainly didn't." 

"So, no new plan?" Joshua asked. 

"No, no new plan." Alec told him, trying to think of a way to remedy the situation. 

* * * 

Max opened her eyes, feeling as if she had slept for days. She adjusted her vision to look at the clock on Logan's laptop and saw that she had only been asleep for a few hours. She pushed the covers off herself and sat up. She looked around the room, wondering where Logan had gone to. She stretched and went to sit in front of his laptop, deciding not to go out and receive more looks. She opened Minesweeper and started playing. 

A few minutes and seven Minesweeper wins later, the door opened and Logan entered the room with a grocery bag. Max turned to face him, eagerly eyeing up the bag. "What've you got there?" 

"Just some things I asked Asha to drop off." He told her and set the bag down next to the laptop. "She left them outside the door, and I guess she left." 

"And what are these things?" She asked as her hand crept up to the mouth of the bag. 

He pulled it from her grasp and grinned. "Not everything in here is for your eyes." 

"Ah, you got some unmentionables in there?" 

"No unmentionables." He told her and reached into the bag. "Just something you can't see." 

"Well, anything that I can see?" She asked. 

He removed mostly all of the items from the bag, only leaving something small in it. He folded up the bag and tucked it away in a drawer. 

Max eyed the food in front of her hungrily, then looked up at him, her eyes asking the question. 

"What's mine is yours." 

Max looked at the food before her and her eyes fell upon one of a pair of apples. She remembered that she hadn't gotten to eat the last apple she was able to get her hands on, so she reached for it. She took a bite out of it and sat chewing, watching Logan pick up the other apple. She swallowed and before taking another bite, deciding to tell him. 

"Logan..." 

He looked at her, telling her to go on with his eyes. 

"I want to tell you what happened - what made me come here." 

Fearing it would be very bad news, he braced himself. "Oh?" 

"Yeah." She sighed, then went on. "Well, I'd been getting weird looks from X5s and 6s all day and I had no idea why. Then - then I overheard some of them talking. They think I slept with Aaron because he and I came in late last night together." 

Seeing the look on his face, she continued quickly. "I mean, I didn't. We didn't. We went to - to talk about stuff that was going on here, that's all. But I guess someone saw it as something different and now everyone thinks..." 

She sighed. "I mean, it's not even that that I was so bothered by that, I mean, since when have I cared when people thought stuff like that about me? I think I just finally crashed. I haven't been able to really relax since this whole thing started. There's always been at least one little thing on my mind... and I guess it was the final straw." 

He wanted to take her hand and tell her it was okay, but knew he couldn't do that, and possibly never could again. 

* * * 

Alec looked out at the crowd of X5s and X6s that had managed to squeeze into the cafeteria. Asha gave him a small supportive smile and he climbed on top of a table. He waited for them to quiet down before he spoke. 

"I know that there's been a certain rumor flying around the X5s and X6s." He said loudly so they all could here. "But I'm here to tell you that it isn't true and you've just got to shut up about it. Someone got their facts messed up and I hope whoever it is feels like a total ass, to be honest. I'm just glad it didn't get around to everyone, and I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way. It's not true and that's the end of it. Thank you." 

He stepped down from the table and watched the transgenics leave the room, mumbling. Mole walked over to him. 

"I doubt any of 'em really believed it." He said. "It was probably their only source of entertainment around here." 

"Even so." Asha said. "It really wasn't right." 

Alec turned to smile at her. 

* * * 

Max set her apple core down and sighed. "I really don't want to go back out there." 

"Well, you can stay here as long as you want." Logan told her. "Though I'm sure you'd get sick of sharing this confined space with me." 

"I'm sure I wouldn't." She told him quietly. 

_Damn virus._ They both thought. 

* * * 

Orion looked up when the door to his room opened. He expected to see TJ, who had been visiting him regularly as he was healing, but was surprised to see Aaron - a bruised Aaron - standing in his doorway. "What happened to you?" 

"Just a misunderstanding." Aaron replied and closed the door behind him. "So, how are you? Statistically you just be almost completely healed by now." 

"I am." Orion answered. "But the medics don't want me out of here yet since they don't have the proper equipment to see if my leg will stay on or whatever." 

Aaron noted the new carefree attitude that Orion appeared to develop. He seemed quite a way from the CO at beautiful old Manticore. "I'll have a word with them. Give them my professional opinion." 

"Thanks." 

"So, I take it you read the information I gave you." 

"Once or twice." Orion said. "And you were right, it did answer a lot of my questions." 

"I can tell." Aaron replied. "You don't have that look in your eye anymore." 

"What look?" 

"Before you knew about my past, there was always this look in your eye." Aaron explained. "It was a look that plainly said you weren't sure if you could really trust me because you didn't know everything." 

"I suppose that look was there." Orion admitted. "But I've changed quite a lot while here." 

"I noticed." 

* * * 

Max closed the door to Logan's room, full but not as happy as she thought she'd be after she finished with the food. She had wanted to tell him that she was three quarters on the way to getting rid of the virus, but then a nasty little voice in her head had asked what would happen if one of the deals didn't go through and she didn't end up with the money and the thought of telling him flew out the window. 

She turned the corner, ready to face more horrible looks from more transgenics, but she didn't find a single one. Everyone had returned to the way they had been before, as if they hadn't just been whispering about who she was sleeping with. She found that very odd, but she found the sight of Asha and Alec playing a game of Go Fish in the communications room much more odd. 

"What's going on?" She asked. 

"Alec fixed it." Asha said. "Got any threes?" 

"No." Alec said. "Any twos? Yeah, I came to the rescue. It was quite a moment, you should've been there." 

"Plan's the same." Joshua said to her, a goofy grin plastered on his face. 


	13. CHAPTER TWELVE Yet So Far

Max slid the window open, not bothering to think how Aaron had unlocked it in the first place. She gently dropped the tube that would soon be holding the Rockwell onto the tile floor, then went in after it. She didn't bother closing the window; the painting was only a few feet away. As she pulled the painting from the wall, she idly wondered how Aaron had found the museum. It was perfect; there was hardly any security and the Rockwell was easy access. 

She slid the painting in the tube and had a look around. A porcelain vase with a floral pattern caught her eye and she moved over to it. She examined it, then gently picked it up and went to the window, where Aaron was now waiting. She handed him the tube and the vase, ignoring his confused expression, then slipped through the window and closed it behind her. 

"Thought you'd get some quick cash from this?" Aaron asked when they reached the Ninja. 

"Yes, yes I did." Max told him and safely secured the vase. "Is it a crime to want a little pocket change?" 

"I think in this case it actually is, yes." 

* * * 

Orion heard the door open, but didn't turn from his spot at the window to see who it was. 

"How are you today?" 

"Good enough to finally be out of this room." Orion said and turned around. He looked at the X5 medic before him and smiled. 

She grinned back and held out a cane. "I think that can be arranged." 

"You don't expect me to use this." He said and accepted the cane. 

"Yes, I do." She replied, then put on a mocking tone. "I'm asking big, strong Orion to appear weak and vulnerable." 

"I could probably use this to hit people over the head, which you have just inspired me to do." 

"Just get outta here." She said and ducked out of his way. "I'm sure TJ and Spring will be delighted to see you up and about." 

He smiled at her once more then left the room. He wasn't happy about the cane, but decided to use it for just a little while, mostly to keep the medics happy for just a bit. He followed the now familiar path to corridor where the three had taken up residence, humming to himself. 

Deciding to visit TJ first, he smiled to himself and knocked on the door with the cane. When there was no answer, he opened the door. "You know -" 

He stopped mid-sentence and just stared ahead. TJ and Spring were in the middle of the room... kissing. He shook his head, telling himself that he was just delirious. They quickly separated and stared at him, but neither could think of anything to say. And that made three of them. 

* * * 

"How are ya, lil fella?" 

Max looked up from her papers and smiled at Joshua. "I'm okay." 

He smiled and sat in the chair in front of her desk. He peered at some of the papers she had been working on, then looked up at her with a questioning look. "Whatcha workin' on?" 

"Just going through supply lists." She told him. "I want to get this done." 

He nodded and pulled a package of snack cakes from his pocket. He set it down on her desk and grinned. "Thought lil fella would want Little Debbies." 

She smiled in appreciation. "Thanks." 

He nodded and stood. "Joshua gotta blaze. Don't work too hard. Take a snack break." 

Her smile widened. "I'll do that." 

He smiled back then left the room. 

She stared at the unopened snack cakes and shook her head. After her last experience with a work overload, she wasn't about to go and overwork herself. She looked down at the supply list, then back at the snack cakes. With a shrug, she reached for the package and tore it open. 

* * * 

Aaron knocked three times and waited. He could hear someone fumbling with approximately several locks before the door finally opened. He nodded at the short man who had opened the door, then followed him inside. This was only his second visit to this particular dealer, but he was already familiar with the set up. He followed the man into a small office that had nothing in it but a banged up desk, two moth eaten chairs, and a dented file cabinet he suspected was empty. 

"What've you go for me?" The man asked and took a seat behind the desk. 

Aaron carefully took the vase that was in the bag that hung from his shoulder and placed it on the desk. "That." 

The man put on a pair of glasses that made his eyes three sizes larger and examined the object. He turned it every way imaginable and even peered inside before putting it back down and taking off the glasses. "I'll give you 2Gs for it." 

"That would be fine." Aaron told him. He accepted the wad of money the man gave him, then left the office, his next stop on his mind. 

* * * 

"I... wha... huh... you... and... I... what?" 

"It's not what it looks like?" 

"Oh, so you were just making sure her tongue was working properly?" 

"She started it!" 

Spring slapped TJ hard on the arm. "Real nice." 

TJ shrugged and rubbed his arm where she hit him. 

"What is going on?" Orion asked, leaning on his cane to keep from falling over in shock. "Did I die? Am I dead right now?" 

"No." Spring told him. "We just... kind of... got closer when you weren't around." 

"We had to stick together." TJ continued. 

"So far you appear to have done a very good job of that." 

"All the time together just, kinda, made us see stuff in each other that we might have never seen." Spring told him. "It was weird at first, but now..." 

"I've only been gone a week!" 

"And a few days." TJ said. "But that was still plenty of time." 

"I... I need time to process this." Orion mumbled and left, closing the door quietly behind him. 

"Could've been worse." TJ mumbled. 

"How?" 

"He could've died from the shock." 

* * * 

Aaron chained Max's bike to the nearest post, as she had instructed him to do. He was under very strict instructions and rules dealing with her "baby." She had only agreed to let him use the bike because she wanted the money as fast as possible and could see no other option. He checked a third time to see that everything was secure, then walked to the front gate. 

He pressed a tiny button on the intercom and spoke into it. "Mr. Rockwell is here to see Mr. Woodridge." 

For a moment everything was quiet, then the gates suddenly pulled open and a voice spoke from the intercom. "Mr. Woodridge will see you. Proceed to the front door." 

Aaron's grip on the tube that held the painting tightened as he walked through the gates. He waited a beat until they closed behind him, then walked the way to the front door. He rang the bell and the door flew open, revealing a burly man in a suit with an earpiece. 

"Follow me." The man grunted and turned. 

Aaron followed him up a long marble staircase and down a long hall. They reached the end of the hall and without hesitation, the man threw open the last door and walked in. He moved to the window and glanced out, then moved to stand next to the large oak desk in the room where an aged man with thinning gray hair and a thick goatee sat, smiling lopsidedly. 

"Mr. Rockwell." The man, Mr. Woodridge, greeted. "Welcome." 

"Hello." 

Mr. Woodridge looked at Aaron expectantly, then opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a black bag. He placed it on the desk near Aaron. "That, I believe, is yours." 

Aaron set the tube on the desk and picked up the black bag. He opened it and looked inside, pleased to see the right amount inside. He closed it and gave Mr. Woodridge a nod. 

Mr. Woodridge unscrewed the lid to the tube, then pulled out the painting. He unrolled it and smile. "I think everything is in order here. Joseph, would you please escort Mr. Rockwell out?" 

The burly man nodded then made his way over to Aaron. He grabbed him by the elbow and began pushing him out of the room. He shoved him out into the hall then closed the door behind him and pushed Aaron further down the hall. He pushed Aaron toward the stairs, and Aaron knew it wasn't going to end well. Before Aaron could turn and shove the man away from him, the man's bulky arms were already rushing at his chest. They connected and Aaron flew backward down the stairs. The man watched with a satisfied smile as Aaron tumbled down and finally spilled into the foyer. 

Aaron groaned and slowly pulled himself to his feet. As two security men approached him from opposite sides, he realized he was not supposed to have survived the fall down the stairs, and it was definitely not in Woodridge's plan to have him leave with the money. 

"In any other situation, statistically I might leave the money and go, but this money is too important to someone, so I will be a statistical anomaly today." 

"What did he just say?" The man on his left asked the other. 

"Who cares? Just get him!" The other answered and pulled out his gun. 

Aaron went toward the men quickly and knocked the gun from his hand. Before the man could recover, Aaron put a hand on the man's neck and applied pressure in a certain spot. The man fell onto the floor, unconscious, then Aaron turned to the other and kicked him in the stomach, then did the same to him. He glanced at the two unconscious men, then heard the third rushing down the staircase and ran out the front door. 

He heard more security rushing out of the door after him, but didn't turn to look, he just kept running for the front gates. When he reached them, he jumped effortlessly over them and ran to the bike. He quickly threw off the chains and got on. Without another thought, he drove off as fast as the bike would take him. 

* * * 

Eight sighed as he looked out at all the officers milling about. They had stopped bothering with the protesters, as all they did was sit nearby and occasionally yell pro-transgenic or anti-transgenic sayings once in a while. To replace the time that was previously spent keeping the protesters under control, they gambled. He was more than shocked to walk by a game of dice the first morning it started, he decided not to say anything because he felt he didn't need them to dislike him more than they already did. 

A grinning officer jogged up to him. "No more fruit attacks, sir." 

Eight sighed deeply. "Yes, I suspected we'd have no more of those. Just - just... go gamble or whatever." 

The officer nodded and saluted him in a mocking way then went off to join a game of poker that was being played on the hood of a police car. 

Frustrated, he pulled out his cellphone. **0 missed calls.** He sighed and shoved the phone back in his pocket, wondering why there had been no contact. He didn't know how he was going to handle any more time there, being useless. He looked over at the poker game and half-considered trying to join in. 

Before he could answer, a motorcycle flew by and went through the open gates of Terminal City. After it was clear, the transgenic guards closed the gates and went back to their posts. He shook his head, knowing that he should've taken the open gates as a sign. There was no doubt that they had heard the motorcycle from blocks away. He forgot the poker game and imagined the praise he would receive for bringing in a transgenic that knew how Terminal City was functioning on the inside. 

* * * 

Max tossed the snack cake wrapper into the garbage can and sighed. She leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands together, then rested them on top of her head. She was never really sure where she got the habit, but she discovered that she usually did it when she was beginning to get stressed. 

Her eyes moved to the filing cabinet across the room where she had hidden the thirty-thousand dollars. She couldn't believe she was so close. 


	14. CHAPTER THIRTEEN Missy Miss

Aaron threw the black bag on the desk and watched her reaction. She moved her hands from the top of her head and straightened in her chair. She examined his face for a moment, then picked up the bag and looked inside. 

"There's twelve-thousand here." 

"The extra two is from that vase you swiped." Aaron told her. "You've got an eye on you." 

"Comes with the job." She said and closed the bag. She went over to the filing cabinet and pulled a key from her pocket. She bent down to unlock the last drawer, then pulled it open and dropped the bag inside. Then she straightened up and lightly clicked the door closed, satisfied with the minute clicking noise it made, signifying it was locked. She turned to face Aaron. "You're one of a kind." 

"That is true." Aaron nodded. 

Max shook her head and stared out the window. "Do you think they'll ever leave us alone?" 

Aaron walked over to the window and pointed out a man to her. "That is Eight and he's from The Committee. They called on me to give them the answer to their biggest question." 

Max looked at him, wondering if she knew what it was. 

"How to get rid of the transgenics." He continued. "I did not tell them how; they were not ready for the information so I didn't tell them how. As long as he is out there and I am in here, they will never go away." 

"Wait, they weren't ready? So you _would_ have told them?" 

"Eventually." He noticed her look. "Max, I was not built to be loyal. They trained the loyalty out of me when I was very young. I couldn't solve problems if I was loyal to this cause or that if they happened to clash. I solve what problems are given to me. I solve all problems... eventually. You have nothing to fear, I assure you. The Committee is nowhere near being ready enough to know how to handle the situation here." 

"What about friends? How can you be a good friend if you're not loyal?" 

"I don't have friends, Max." He told her. "I have people who I know. Maybe someday, when people stop asking questions, I'll be able to be normal and have friends and be loyal and all that, but for now... I'm just built to know." 

* * * 

"_Fe'nos tol_." 

The robed man nodded in recognition then turned to watch the two men sparring. He was obviously pleased by their abilities and skill. He watched them intently, emotionless for the most part. After a few minutes, he turned back to the man beside him. "How are things with The Committee going?" 

"Very well, sir." 

"And they've got no idea about you?" The man asked. 

"None, sir." 

"And the man, Murray, have you taken care of him?" 

The visiting man nodded and pulled a ring from his pocket. He handed it to the robed man with a bow of his head. "His ring, sir." 

"Very good." The robed man said. "It shouldn't be long before you may shed your number and make it known that you are a Brother to us all." 

* * * 

Orion rested his forehead against the cool glass of a window in the cafeteria and groaned. He stared out at the empty street below, wondering if the people who used to walk along below years ago ever had problems like he was currently having. He began tapping his cane in tune with a soft melody in his head, hoping that it would distract him from the issue at hand. The only thing he was happy about was the fact that the breakfast rush was over and the cafeteria was virtually empty, save for a few lingering transgenics and that Logan guy. 

He turned to stare at Logan and wondered if he ever had this particular problem. He then thought that was stupid to think and turned back to stare at the desolate street below. He sighed again, not knowing what else to do. 

A few minutes later, he felt someone tap on his shoulder. Fearing it might be TJ or Spring, he didn't turn around. "Yeah?" 

"I couldn't help but notice you look pretty upset." 

He turned then, glad it wasn't TJ or Spring, and looked up at the man who was talking to him. It was Logan. "You could say that." 

Logan took a seat next to him, but didn't say anything. Instead he watched Alec toss his garbage into one of the industrial sized cans and walk out the door. After he had gone, he turned back to Orion. "So, what's wrong?" 

"It's - I dunno. You probably wouldn't be able to help anyway." 

"Never know unless you tell me." 

Orion sighed. "Okay, well, I was in the hospital wing for a week or so and when I got out and went to go see... the people I'm closest to, they were... kissing. I just don't understand how it could have happened. I mean, things were always this one way and all of a sudden they're different. And they told me that it wasn't the first time." 

"I know how it feels." Logan mumbled. "There was a period of time when I thought... someone I cared for - _loved_ was with someone else." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah. I mean, it's not the same situation as you, but... I constantly wondered why it wasn't me." Logan sighed. "It hurt, a lot, but I did learn the art of grinning and bearing, not that I hadn't been an expert at it already, but... sometimes you just have to learn to accept things, and it usually works itself out in the end. It did for me, anyway." 

Orion nodded slightly and Logan stood up. "Thanks." 

"Nothing to thank me for." Logan said, then checked his watch. "Well, I've got to go work on some things. Good luck." 

Orion watched Logan walk out of the cafeteria, then sat for a moment. After making his decision, he grabbed his cane and made his way out. 

* * * 

_"Has there been any trouble from the transgenics?"_

"No, nothing. The police are more active than they are." 

_"I'm sure it's just them planning. Keep on the situation. I'll get back to you."_

Before Eight could reply, the line went dead. He shook his head and hit the End button. He shoved his cellphone back in his pocket, unable to shake the feeling that he was getting the run around. 

He was about to settle in for a little nap when there was a knock on his window. Upset at the disruption, he rolled the window down and snapped, "What?" 

"There's a bike messenger here, sir." 

"A what?" 

"A bike messenger." The officer repeated. 

"Oh hell." Eight mumbled and opened the door. He got out and roughly slammed the door behind him, then followed the officer to the bike messenger who was standing near the gates of Terminal City, his bike at his side. "You. What do you want?" 

"I've got a package that's gotta go in there." The messenger replied and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of Terminal City. 

"And who _in there_ would need a package?" Eight questioned, clearly annoyed. 

The messenger shrugged and looked at the package. "Someone." 

Eight ripped the package from the messenger's hands and ignored his protests as he read to whom the package ought to be delivered. He sighed and yelled, "Someone get me a bullhorn!" 

It didn't take long for one of the officers to bring him one. He flipped it on and brought it to his mouth. "Attention residents of Terminal City. There is a package here addressed to... 'Missy Miss' that you need to sign for." 

He handed the bullhorn to a nearby officer then roughly shoved the package back into the messenger's hands. He looked around, then went back to his car, deciding he really didn't care if some anonymous transgenic was getting a care package. 

The gates to Terminal City opened and Max walked through them. She smiled at her old friend. "Dru, what's up?" 

Druid shrugged. "I just need a signature." 

She quickly signed _Missy Miss_ on the sheet and accepted the package Druid handed her. She noticed the wink he gave her before getting back onto his bike and pedaling off. She shook her head and smiled, then walked back to her office. 

Once inside, she tore open the package and spilled the contents onto her desk. There was some type of book and a note, so she decided to read the note first. 

_Max, _

You been in there hella long. Here's a little something from all of us that will hopefully cheer ya up some. 

Love, 

Original Cindy, Sketchy, and everyone at Jam Pony (yeah, even Normal) 

She smiled fondly, then picked up the book and turned it over so she could see the cover. There were pictures of everyone from Jam Pony cut and pasted onto it. 

Curious, she opened to the first page and saw pictures of herself and Original Cindy, along with some messages scribbled by Original Cindy herself. She turned the page and saw that Sketchy had done the same... the next page was Herbal... and so on. She flipped through the whole book, each page having pictures and messages from her friends at work. The last page was Normal, and only had one picture on it (the only picture that had the two of them together; Max standing behind him with a goofy look on her face) and the message, _What the fire truck are you doing? Get back here and get to work! Packages need homes, missy miss. Bip bip bip!_

She smiled and closed the scrapbook and just stared at the cover. 


	15. CHAPTER FOURTEEN Finally

Max looked at the Beckley Arts Museum and frowned. It was a lot bigger and much more secure than she had expected. If it hadn't been for Aaron's loyalty admission she probably would have felt better, but she couldn't help imagining a guard asking him what he was doing and him answering, "Aiding in a burglary." 

"Max. Max. Maaaax." 

Max blinked and turned to Aaron. "What?" 

"This is a serious place." He told her. "It's run by some rich old guy who loves his art, and has the place teaming with guards. The good thing about that though, is that there are only five assigned to each floor and they don't leave that floor unless another one of the guards calls for assistance. Statistically you'll be looking at running into at least two of the guards, depending on position. Take them out as quietly as you can, I suggest pressure points in the neck." 

Max nodded, questions swimming in her mind that she wouldn't bother asking, knowing his answer would be the same old built to know. She tucked the tube into the backpack she was wearing, then quickly made her way across the street. She moved into the alley behind the building and didn't fail to notice the camera sitting near the window. She wondered if Aaron had disabled them like before. 

She jumped onto a nearby dumpster, then jumped up to a window, much like she did when trying to find the Rockwell when she was trying to save Normal from defenestration. Pushing that thought from her mind, she crawled through the window and landed not so gracefully on the floor. She pulled herself up from the floor and looked around. Right. She was supposed to go right. 

She crept along the corridor until she reached the first doorway. She crept past that, waiting to find the third, where the Rockwell would be. She passed the second and thought she wasn't noticed, but a guard flicked off his flashlight and stepped out of the doorway. He watched her walk down the hall then disappear into the third doorway. He pulled out his gun and crept down the hall. He braced himself then jumped into the room, pointing the gun in every direction. 

"Who's ever in here, show yourself." He said and slowly walked further into the room. 

Max hid behind a large misshapen sculpture and waited until the guard passed her. She quietly crept up behind him and quickly placed her fingers on the pressure point in his neck. He let out a small moan, then fell to the ground in a dead sleep. She smiled and kicked his gun away from him, then moved over to the Rockwell. 

She noticed the small wire that ran the length and width of the frame and a small keyhole near the edge. Taking her chances that Aaron had disabled the alarm, she pulled the painting from the wall and separated it from the frame. Gently she placed the frame back on the wall, then pulled the tube from her backpack. She rolled up the painting and quickly slid it into the tube then screwed on the cap. She put the tube carefully in the backpack and made sure it was secure before she crept to the doorway and looked up and down the hall. 

Seeing no one, she crept up and turned the corner to the window. When she reached the window, she opened it and... realized she hadn't closed it behind her. She then heard a gun cock and felt the cool metal against her neck, then heard the tube slide from her backpack. 

"Turn around nice and slow." 

She put her hands up and did as she was told, thinking that Aaron's statistics were indeed correct. "Something wrong?" 

"One of the funny ones." The guard said and grinned, the gun never leaving Max's face. "Shame you gotta go to jail, cause you're a pretty one." 

"You could let me go." She replied in a sugary sweet voice. 

The guard chuckled. "I don't think so." 

"Shame." She replied smoothly. Before he could reach for his walkie talkie, she kicked up her leg and kicked the gun from his hand, then punched him in the face. Seeing he still wasn't going to go down, she head-butted him and roughly dug her finger into his pressure point. 

He fell quick and she wasted no time taking the tube from him and moving to the window. Then she heard a loud bang and felt a stinging near her ankle. She looked down briefly and saw a bullet hole in the wall. Wasting no time looking back, she dove out of the window. When she landed, she rolled and roughly hit the next door building. 

She heard another gunshot and heard a bullet whiz by her head. Then another, and another. Not wasting any time, she pulled herself up and ran across the street, where Aaron already had the bike going. She heard another gun shot, then jumped on the bike behind Aaron and they sped off. 

* * * 

"You say you went outside and some maniac shot at you?" 

"Yeah. Crazy bastard." 

"Well, you're lucky the bullet only grazed you or you'd be looking at a shattered ankle right now." 

The medic X5 bandaged up Max's ankle then looked up at her and smiled. Max smiled back and hopped down from the examining table, then quickly brought her pant leg down to cover the bandage. She could only imagine the questions Logan, Alec, Joshua, and hell, even Mole would have for her if any of them saw it. 

"Thanks, Angie." 

"No problem." The X5 smiled. 

Max gave a small smile in return then limped out of the room. She had hoped it wouldn't have hurt that bad when she walked, but as Angie had explained it was right near a point in the ankle where pressure from walking hit the muscles. 

Just my luck. She thought as she hobbled back to her office. 

She sat at her desk, happy to be off her foot. Instead of going to work like she planned, she leaned back and began looking at the scrapbook again. She touched some of the photos longingly, wishing she would fall through the photograph and be taken back to that time when her life was so much simpler. 

* * * 

Two watched as the last of the rooms were locked and sealed. He shook his head and turned to Fourteen. "I don't understand, sir." 

"Part of the downsizing process." Fourteen replied. 

"But, sir, it's just a building." Two said. "Desks, chairs, brick. All the employees have been terminated... both ways, depending on their knowledge of the Project. But why the building, sir? I'm sure it could be of use when The Committee is functional again." 

"No." Fourteen told him and led him into the dark board room. Only now it wasn't so dark. The blinds had been opened and the curtains drawn, allowing a flood of light into the room, allowing them both to see it in a way they had never seen it again. "No, Mr. Two, The Committee can never be functional again." 

"Sir?" 

"A new organization is running things now." Fourteen explained. "A great organization older and wiser than any the government could ever dream of. It is the dawning of a new day." 

"But sir -" 

"Silence." Fourteen interrupted, then handed Two a letter. "I regret to inform you that you are being terminated." 

"Sir..." Two spoke shakily. 

Fourteen grinned wickedly and quickly left the room. He slammed the door behind him before the aged Two could make it. 

Two grasped the doorknob and twisted with all his might, but it was locked. He knew it had been sealed too, just like all the other doors he had watched them close, never to be opened again, that day. He didn't understand what was going on. Then he smelt it. Gasoline. 

"Oh God." He whispered and backed away from the door. 

He watched, horrified, as a gentle orange glow shown under the door. He moved to the window and looked down at the parking lot, where Fourteen and his small team were piling into their cars. He began pounding on it and screaming. He saw Fourteen look up at him and grin... then drive off. 

Knowing it was over, he moved and sat in the Head's seat, the only - and final - time he would ever sit there. 

* * * 

Orion gulped and knocked on TJ's door. He heard a muffled word or two and opened the door. He saw TJ and Spring sitting on the mattress that TJ had managed to obtain, looking at him expectantly. 

"I had a talk with someone." Orion told them. "He told me some things that made some sense, and... and I know I can't do anything but... but be supportive." 

Spring smiled and got up to hug him. "Thank you." 

"Don't thank me." He said as they separated. "I didn't do anything." 

"You made things a lot easier for us." TJ said. "So, thanks." 

Orion smiled, knowing things could be the same again. 

* * * 

"Knock, knock." 

Max looked up from the scrapbook and smiled when she saw Logan at the door. "Hey stranger." 

He entered the office and sat in the chair in front of the desk, smiling. He then tossed a small brown paper bag at her. "I brought you something." 

Curious, Max opened the bag and pulled out a grapefruit. She looked at him with a lopsided grin. "Fruit?" 

"Thought I should return the favor." He shrugged. "So, busy this morning?" 

"Yes, actually." She told him, then smiled. "But I'm currently ignoring all of my duties." 

"So you wouldn't mind going for a walk with me then?" 

She thought this over, then remembered the limp. "I'm actually pretty tired." 

"Oh." His face fell for an instant, but he quickly covered that up. "Well, I'll go then so you can rest." 

He stood up and was halfway out the door when she bit her lip, then called out. "Logan! Wait!" 

She limped to the doorway and stood halfway hidden so that he wouldn't see she was only standing on one foot. 

"Hmm?" 

"Uh... breakfast." She said. "Would - do you wanna have breakfast sometime soon? I don't know what day, but... soon?" 

"It's a date." He smiled warmly and continued on his way. 

She let out a low whistle and limped back to her desk. She closed her scrapbook and put it aside, deciding to actually get some work done. She quickly finished a list of supplies and went to work on the water system plans. 

She was halfway through the solution when a finger suddenly appeared on the paper. "That needs to be a stronger material or you're looking at a serious leakage problem." 

"Noted." Max mumbled and scribbled something down on the plans, then looked up at Aaron. "Well?" 

He pulled a brown paper bag from behind his back and dropped it on the desk. "Ten thousand, all there." 

Max looked into the bag, not knowing whether to smile or cry... so she did both. She jumped to her feet then went over to Aaron and gave him a hug. "Thank you." 

"I got my hug." He said. "I'm thanked. You're welcome." 

"So this is it..." She said quietly as she walked over to the filing cabinet. She unlocked and opened the last drawer then put all the money in the black bag. "This is what I've been waiting forever for." 

"Happiness in a bag I guess it is." Aaron said thoughtfully. 

"I don't know what to do first." She said as she hobbled over to him. "Should I dance? Sing? Tell Logan?" 

"How about you go and tell the scientist to get working on the cure, then you wait until that ankle of yours is healed and dance." Aaron said. "Then tell Logan, but... try not to sing at all. If you were meant to sing, you'd have a recording contract." 

Max smiled at him. "Thank you." 

"Just go." 

Her smile widened and she limped out of the office as fast as she could. 

Aaron moved over to the window and frowned. Now what was he going to do? 

* * * 

"_Fe'nos tol_." 

"_Fe'nos tol_." 

The robed man smiled as he watched the news on mute. He watched the video footage of the burning Committee building flare up one last time before it collapsed. "You have done well." 

"Thank you, sir." 

The robed man turned to him. "You may shed your number. You are no longer Fourteen of The Committee, you are Brother West and will be for the rest of your days." 

West bowed his head and allowed himself a smile. He had finally been promoted. 

_No longer an underling, but a true Brother._ He thought happily, then wiped the smile from his face and brought his head back up to look at the robed High Priest. 

"It's going to be difficult to infiltrate the transgenics." The High Priest told him. "They won't be trusting, especially now that they have the man of Voltaire." 

"Sir, what is the plan?" West asked. "Since the execution of White I have not been clear on anything." 

"You will learn when it is time." The High Priest told him. "The moment will come." 

* * * 

Max barged into the lab, not bothering with any pleasantries. She walked over to the scientist, who was currently enjoying a bowl of Chex and staring at her oddly, and dumped the money out of the bag in front of him. "Fifty-thousand. There it is. Get to work." 

He put his bowl down and stared at the money, then at Max. "I didn't think you'd be able to -" 

"Yeah, well, I did. So get to work on the virus." She said. "You've got everything you need, now work." 

He nodded and put all the money back in the bag. "Come back in a few days, and I'll have it." 

"You better." She said. Then added in a menacing tone, "And if you try skipping out with the cash, I swear I'll find you and I will make sure you feel pain that you thought wasn't possible... and then, of course, I'll kill you. Slowly." 

The scientist nodded, obviously very afraid of Max. She wanted to add a dramatic exit for effect, but found that very hard as she limped out of the room slowly, so she turned to glare at him then slammed the door roughly. 


	16. CHAPTER FIFTEEN Life's A Bitch Sometimes

Three days later, Aaron stood on top of the roof, staring up at the moon. He remembered what Max had told him about what she thought of when she saw the moon... it had made her free and herself. He knew what it was to be free, but he didn't know what it was to be himself. He never had the opportunity to find out who he really was. _Built to know_ could only carry him so far... but then what? 

He sighed and looked down at the police and protesters below, both groups still obviously tired. They knew who they were. They had their whole lives to decide who they were and how they would think. He had only a few quiet moments of non questioned peace each day, certainly not enough to decide _why_ he liked certain things and not others. 

He sensed Max behind him, but didn't turn around. She had over ten years to become her own person and fight the military dullness that she had experienced for the first nine years of her life. She wouldn't understand. He decided that nobody could. 

"Hey." 

"Hello." He said. "Good news?" 

She stood next to him and stared out at the people below. "The scientist called. He finished it. It's done." 

"I'm very happy for you." Aaron said, though he didn't seem it. But he never seemed to be much of anything; his emotions rarely showed. 

"Thank you." 

"I told you, I've already gotten my hug." 

"Yeah, but... _thank you_." She said. She lingered for a minute more, then walked away. 

Aaron was happy for her. She was getting what she finally wanted after so long and it was because of him. He solved the mathematic and scientific problems, he mapped out the robberies, he sold the items and got the money... he did it all. And he was happy about it. He wondered if this was what it was like to feel satisfied after having done a job well. He'd never felt that way when he'd answered questions. 

He sighed once more, then turned and left the roof. 

* * * 

Max tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ears and smiled. She slammed her foot down on the floor, making sure her ankle was completely fine; she didn't want any distractions at breakfast. 

As she walked to Logan's door, she mentally went through what she had done already. When she reached the door, she smiled and knocked. She was happy to see Logan open the door, and wanted to jump at him right then, but decided that might give him a heart attack. 

"Ready?" 

Logan nodded and they walked to their usual breakfast spot, the roof. He had been up there not long ago, setting everything up. "I've got a surprise for you." 

"More fruit?" Max asked playfully as she opened the door to the roof. 

"No, unfortunately it isn't fruit." He told her as they settled themselves on the picnic blanket. "But it is pretty good." 

"What is it?" 

"Close your eyes." He smirked. 

"Okay." She said, a suspicious tone in her voice. She heard him digging around in a bag, then she could hear a small noise. 

"Okay, open 'em." 

She opened her eyes, not knowing what to expect. She saw Logan grinning at her with a box in his hand. She read the label and smiled. "Pop Tarts." 

"I managed to get a hold of an unopened box." He said, then pointed to the front. He grinned at her. "S'more flavored too." 

"S'mores." She said quietly and took the box from him. "Okay, this is a lovely gesture and all, but Logan, I'm not too keen on the idea of eating food that's over ten years old." 

He shook his head. "It's perfectly fine. I managed to track this down, on eBay believe it or not. The guy bought a factory from the Kellogg corporation and opened a hermetically sealed room and he found boxes and boxes of the things. Being a fine citizen of today, he knew he could make a buck or two off 'em and put them online. Plus, they were shipped overnight, so they're perfectly good to eat." 

Amazed at the lengths he went to, she ripped open the box and opened one of the foil packages. She handed him one and kept the other for herself. She looked at it curiously for a minute, then shrugged and took a bite. She swallowed and turned to him. "Kinda gross... but kinda good." 

He smiled and took another bite of his own. She watched him, then decided now would be a time as good as any to tell him. She smiled gently, then reached out and touched his hand. 

"Thank you." She said quietly. 

He stared at her hand for a moment, then turned to look at her. The Pop Tart fell from his hand and landed soundlessly on the blanket under him. He swallowed hard and continued to look at her. "Max?" 

"I've got a surprise for you too." She said. "It's not Pop Tarts or anything, but it is pretty good." 

He looked incapable of speech, so she continued. "Well, when Aaron first showed up, he fixed all the calculations I had made so far, and he fixed everything. He told me it was the cure, positively. So I went to a scientist and he gave me a pretty steep price. So, I told Aaron and he helped me get the money... and here we are. Cured." 

"How - how did you get the money?" 

"Not legally." She told him honestly. "But I don't even want to think about that. All I want to think about is -" 

"Breakfast?" He interjected with a grin, then slid the lid off the basket, revealing toast and a thermos labeled _coffee_. "I couldn't fit any hot baths in." 

She shook her head in amazement and turned to stare at him. "Pop Tarts, toast, and coffee all in one day. You spoil me, Logan Cale." 

He shrugged. "My pleasure." 

A silence fell upon them, neither knowing how to carry the conversation in a carefree way any longer. They just looked at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Slowly they moved toward each other, neither wanting to wait any longer. Their eyes closed and their lips met softly for the first time in too long a time, or so it seemed to both of them. 

* * * 

Mole sighed and grabbed Alec's wrist, bringing up the transgenic's arm and looking at the time on his watch. He dropped the arm and shook his head. "She was supposed to be here an hour ago. Where the hell is she?" 

"Wasn't she supposed to be having breakfast with Logan today?" Alec asked. 

"Breakfast doesn't take two and a half hours." Mole said angrily. 

"Maybe she forgot." Joshua offered. 

"Helluva thing to forget." Mole muttered. 

"Look, if worst comes to worst, I'll just go out and get the food." Alec said. 

"The reason you don't get the food supplies, is because you can't be trusted with large amounts of cash, prettyboy." Mole told him and bit harshly on the end of his cigar. 

Alec sneered and leaned back in his chair. They were in Max's office, waiting for her, and were spread around. Joshua was at the window, Mole was sitting on the farthest edge of the desk, and Alec was sitting behind the desk, making a go at rifling through all of the drawers. 

"I'm fine with cash." Alec mumbled. Then added in a whisper, "With supervision." 

He opened the bottom drawer and discovered Max's scrapbook. Curious, he pulled it out and began flipping through the pages. 

"What's that?" Mole asked. 

Alec shrugged. "A scrapbook I guess. From her friends at work apparently. Why didn't they make me one?" 

"Maybe they don't like you." 

They all looked and saw Max in the doorway, looking a little rosy in the cheeks. She walked over to Alec and roughly took the book from him, then put it back in the drawer and closed it. He quickly moved out of her chair before she could push him to the floor, and she sat down. 

"Why're you all... pink?" Alec asked. 

"I was outside." Max told him without looking in his eyes. 

"It's not cold outside." Mole said. 

"It was just now." Max said, then coughed uncomfortably. "So, food delivery. I better get on that." 

She got up and rushed out of the room, then came back in. She grabbed the keys to the truck and the supply sheet off her desk and smiled sheepishly. "Almost forgot." 

* * * 

Max backed the truck up next to the warehouse where Original Cindy had set up a food drop. She patted the hood of the eighteen wheeler that Dix had resurrected from the dead affectionately, then walked up to the warehouse door and slid it open. The workers inside didn't pay any attention to her, which she liked. When she first started picking up food supplies, they treated her like she was going to snatch their first borns and eat them right there in front of them, but as she kept making regular appearances and slowly showed them that she had no interest in eating their young, they grew to treat her like a regular client. A few even dared say hello. 

"Max!" 

Max smiled at the manager, a transgenic named Gary who was passing as a regular guy. "Gary." 

"How's things?" 

"Same old, same old." She told him as she watched the workers begin loading crates of food onto the truck. "How's the girlfriend?" 

"Fiancé." Gary beamed. 

"Get out." 

"No, I'm totally serious." He told her. "A few weeks after your last visit I asked her. She, obviously, said yes. I am so the cat who ate the canary." 

"Don't forget to invite me and _the kids_ to the wedding." Max said and gave him a little nudge. 

"I don't know about **all** _the kids_," Gary said, knowing that she meant the transgenics at Terminal City. "But maybe some of the sixies, ya know, the ones I was close to in my _club_." 

Max smiled, knowing he meant the X6s that were in his unit. "Got ya, Gar, got ya. So, life's good for one of us, huh?" 

"Seems like it." He said soberly. 

"That's good to hear." She said and watched as the last crate be loaded onto the truck, then the truck's back be closed. "Well, I gotta blaze." 

"See ya, Max." 

"You know it." She grinned. 

* * * 

She arrived back at Terminal City to the usual crowd of transgenics who would be taking the show over from there. She hopped out of the truck and handed the keys to Mole. "Have fun." 

"Right." He grumbled and climbed into the cab. 

She smiled, truly happy for the first time in a long time. But her face fell as soon as she saw Joshua rushing toward her, knowing that life would never let her catch a break. 


	17. CHAPTER SIXTEEN Marks The Spot

"Max! Max!" 

"What is it?" She asked and frowned. 

"It's bad." Joshua told her with a shake of his head. "Very bad. Very very bad." 

"What's bad?" 

"Just come." He said and grabbed her by the hand. He began dragging her to where he wanted to take her, but that wasn't fast enough for him, so she picked her up and ran the rest of the way. He wove his way through most of the twenty-one blocks that made up Terminal City before he finally stopped in the middle of the street. He set her down and pointed to where a large group of transgenics were gathered. "Down there. I - I don't want to go." 

She nodded slowly and made her way down to the large group of transgenics. They parted when they saw her coming, allowing her a clear path to whatever lay in the middle of the circle. She gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth when she saw the sight before her. The bruised, battered, and bloodied bodies of eight transgenics were scattered around in pairs, one over the other to form a crude X. 

She looked at all of the faces, hoping that she didn't know any of them, but sadly she did. Tru and Orion had been roughly thrown together as an X. She felt like crying for so many reasons, but told herself she had to stay strong for those around her. She took a deep breath and removed her hand from her mouth. She turned to the nearest person, a boy that couldn't have been older than fifteen. She was going to tell him to go get Mole and the others, but the confused and hurt look on his face told her that he wouldn't be able to make it, so she just put a hand on his shoulder and a brave smile on her face. 

"Go get Mole and the others." She said instead to a twenty-something man. He nodded and rushed off. "Everyone else... I don't know. Just - just get out of here." 

The surrounding transgenics, about thirty or so, all dispersed, whispering about what they thought had happened. Some went to the main buildings of Terminal City, others just went into their houses nearby. The boy disappeared from Max's side, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Orion's lifeless face to see where he went. 

She stood there, alone, for what seemed like a decade and a half. She wanted to run and never stop. She wanted to go and never look back and never regret it. She wanted a _life_, not what she had before her. As far as she was concerned, she was staring at fate and fate was wickedly grinning and telling her, "You're next." 

She took a step back, then ran into the nearest alley and vomited behind a garbage can. After she had emptied her stomach of everything, she wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand, then in a fit of rage she tore the gloves off her hands and threw them hard against the brick wall across from her. She shook her head then buried it in her hands and let the tears flow freely. 

"Oh God." Alec whispered when he came upon the scene. 

The cigar fell from Mole's lips and lay forgotten as he stared out at the bodies. Joshua hung back and whimpered like a small puppy. Aaron stood, staring out and emotionless. Logan turned away, unable to take in the gruesome sight. 

"Can't I catch a break?" He heard a weak, raspy voice softly say. He turned and walked into the nearest alley, where he immediately spotted Max. Her hands were now in her lap and she was resting her head against the wall. Without a sound a he went over to her and kneeled down. 

"What?" He asked softly. 

She reached for his hand and held it tightly. "It seems like whenever something goes my way, other people have to get hurt. It sounds selfish, but... it's true. Maybe I just shouldn't be happy." 

"Max..." 

"No, this didn't happen until I was happy." She said weakly. "Everything was hunky-dory until I got a moment of happiness. It happens all the time." 

"Max, even if you weren't happy, this would of happened." 

"Are you sure? Because I think it's some messed up karma or something that has to kick other people down when I'm up." 

"Max." 

She didn't lift her head, just moved her eyes to the mouth of the alley where Aaron was standing and stared at him. She made no move to speak, so he decided to start. "I heard what you said just now. Max, it has nothing to do with you. I was just running over the statistics in my head and I realized that Eight's presence led up to this. I'm such an idiot for not realizing earlier... I could just jump off a building." 

"You were busy helping me." She said. "Don't jump." 

He looked at her a moment, then before he turned to leave, he told her, "Stay away from the edge yourself." 

"What do you want to do?" Logan asked her quietly. 

"First, I want to get up." 

Logan nodded and stood himself, then helped her up. "Now what?" 

"Now I want to find who did this... and I want to kill them." She waited for him to say that it would make her just as bad as them, but he didn't. He just gave her a supportive nod of his head and took her hand in his. 

* * * 

West wiped the blood off his dagger then kissed the blade. He looked out the window, watching the few transgenics who turned up to help 452 stand around, looking shocked. He chuckled grimly and moved out of the window. 

"Crowd's gone, but 452's got her little brigade down there." He told his companions and joined one of them on the ratty sofa. 

He had brought a few of the Brothers along with him to help with the transgenics. Hunt, Ebel, Batise, and Chavez were some of the best warriors the Familiars had to offer and that was something that would be needed if they were going to start a small invasion that would eventually lead to a full-scale war between Familiars and transgenics all over the city. 

"They'll never figure it out." Hunt said as he lit his cigarette. "They're not smart enough for that." 

"They've got the man of Voltaire though." Ebel said. 

"He's not a 100%." Chavez told him. "There's a 3% chance the guy won't figure it out, and since they're not stormin' in here right now, I'd say he's clueless." 

"Ya know West, I gotta hand it to ya." Batise said and clapped West on the back. "That puttin' 'em in the shape of an X was genius." 

West smiled smugly and leaned back. "Gotta send the message." 

* * * 

Mole and Aaron were making slow work of pulling the bodies off one another and resting them carefully on the ground, making sure to close the eyes of the ones that were still open. A lump formed in Aaron's throat as he gently pulled Tru's body off of Orion's, and he grimaced as he closed Orion's dead eyes. He had been the closest thing he had to a friend and now... now he was gone. 

"Get something to cover them with." Mole said to Alec sadly. 

Alec nodded and went to the nearest occupied house, hoping to collect a sheet. He walked past Max and Logan as they came out of the alley, but didn't look at them. He wasn't sure if he could face anybody at the moment. 

Mole tried to keep his gaze off of Max, but he couldn't help it. His eyes always seemed to find their way to the team leader when something had gone wrong, and he couldn't stop it now. 

"We're going to kill whoever did this." Max told him boldly. "I'm not playing games anymore, and screw the public opinion. They're going to pay with their lives." 

Mole gave a half-nod, unable to process Max's words at the moment. How she managed to change so drastically in the way of revenge, and yet grasp Logan's hand like a frightened child was unexplainable to him. 

Alec came back to them, carrying two sheets. He quickly spread them over the bodies then turned to Max. "What - what do we do now?" 

Max looked at the spots on the sheets where blood was starting to seep through, and said like a scared child, "We're going to take care of them." 

* * * 

Hunt held his cigarette tightly between his lips as he spread a map of Terminal City over the rickety coffee table. He uncapped a red marker and made four Xs where the bodies had been placed, then looked at West. 

"I think we're going here next." West said and pointed at a place a few blocks away. 

"Why not up by the main buildings?" Ebel asked. 

"That's where most of them will be." Hunt answered for him. "If we get caught now, it'll never pan out in the long run." 

"So, this is really happening, huh?" Batise said. "We're finally getting rid of the scum?" 

"Looks like." West said with a smile. 

* * * 

Max walked out first, the others behind her, each of them carrying on of the bodies covered in a sheet. She stopped in front of the gate and told the nearest officer that she wanted to talk to whoever was in charge. He nodded and walked off to a car. He tapped on the window and pointed out Max. In no time, Eight was standing on the other side of the fence. 

"You want to talk to me, 452?" 

"No." She told him flatly. "I don't want to talk about anything." 

She then turned to look at her friends holding the dead transgenics, then turned back to him sadly. "I want to bury our dead." 

Eight wondered for a moment if she could possibly be serious. "Excuse me?" 

"Eight of our people were murdered." She told him. "We have nowhere to bury them here. We want a plot of land and free access to it." 

Before he could answer, his cellphone rang. He apologized and answered it. It was Fourteen. 

_"You're being terminated."_

A shot rang out and the cellphone fell to the ground. Max looked down in shock and saw that there was a bullet hole in Eight's chest, then he quickly fell next to his cellphone. 

Max and the others looked up wildly, expecting to see someone on a nearby rooftop or in a window... but there was nothing. She shook her head and signaled for them to fall back. They ran into the nearest building, shutting the door behind them. 

"What the hell was that?" Mole asked and gently laid down his morbid cargo. The others followed suit. 

"I don't know." Max said. "But we're going to get blamed for it." 

* * * 

West grinned and snapped his cellphone closed. He knew it wouldn't be long before Hunt called and told him the job was done. He stretched and propped his feet up on the coffee table, then looked at the others. "Life is good, gentlemen, life is good." 


	18. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Dealing

Max looked out the window, staring at the building that held the eight transgenics. She tried several times to tear her eyes away from it and maybe look at the police, or Logan, or Mole, or Joshua... or _anything_, but whenever she tried her eyes always found their way back to the building. It had been two days since the mysterious shooting of Eight and not even Aaron could figure it out. He only guessed that someone else from The Committee had him killed, but he couldn't say anything concrete. Maybe that was why she kept staring at the building, she thought. It was the unknown. With a bitter smile she wondered if that was why everyone stared at her. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder but didn't turn. She couldn't tear her eyes from the building. She wasn't sure if she was hoping to see them all parading out of there, perfectly fine and yelling, "Ha ha, Max! We got you!" or if she was just hoping something would happen. 

"Clemente is out there." Logan told her softly. "He wants to talk to you." 

"I don't know if I feel like talking." She said and placed her hand on top of his. When she had finally got the cure, she had been expecting much more joyous touches. She shook her head and turned away from the building, burying her head in Logan's chest. She felt his hand on her back and felt that she might like to stay that way forever. 

She sighed and pulled slightly away from him. She looked up into his eyes and said softly, "Wait here for me, will you?" 

He managed a gentle smile and lightly kissed her forehead, then let her go. She gave him one last look before leaving the room. Mole and Aaron decided to stay behind, but Joshua and Alec got up and followed her out. 

She marched up to the fence, her soldier face plastered on, Joshua and Alec flanking her. She looked at Clemente and gave a small nod. "Haven't seen you around here in a while." 

"It's just been recently that the government's stepped out of the situation." He told her. "Things are back under my control." 

"Glad to have you back." 

"So, I hear you wanted to talk to the guy in charge a few days ago." 

"Yeah, and he got shot down by his own people apparently." Max told him. "Just warms your heart, doesn't it?" 

"What did you want to talk to him about?" 

"We want a place to bury our dead." Max told him. "There were some murders inside recently and we want a place for them." 

"Murders?" 

"None of my people did it." Max assured him. "I got a guy working on it, and I can assure you that you won't have to worry about it. So, do we get our space?" 

"I'll see what I can do." Clemente told her and pulled out his phone. 

* * * 

Hunt watched as the rest of the men slept and shook his head. He could never sleep before a kill, it was in his blood to be that way. His father and grandfather, he remembered, would always be wired up before they went out on a mission. He had always wanted it. Even when he was little he knew he wanted to have the same look on his face that his father had when he returned home after a success. 

He sighed and looked out the window, wondering if anybody would mind if he went out and killed one in advance. He knew they probably would, but he couldn't shake the urge. It didn't help when a young blonde breezed by, her barcode fully exposed. He sneered and shook his head, but managed to keep himself under control. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled out the last one. He let it hang limply from his mouth and he tossed the pack to the floor as he searched for the lighter. 

After he took a drag of his cigarette he was much more calm. He moved away from the window, for the moment forgetting the blonde and her barcode, and focusing on the picture of 452 that was tacked to the wall. It had many little holes in it, obviously it had use as a bulls-eye on a dart board, but one was still able to make out her face. Under that picture, in a chart form, were the pictures of her transgenic and pro-transgenic pals. They were arranged in the order of who she would most likely be more devastated to find lifeless in the streets of Terminal City. 

He blew a ring of smoke on the picture the man Logan Cale and grinned. As soon as he had the chance, he was going to kill him, then he planned to kill 452 after she had just watched her lover boy bite it. It was his fantasy to destroy them all, and to him it was a great one, one that he was constantly imagining. 

* * * 

Clemente took his phone from his ear and looked at Max. "I got a guy who's gung-ho pro-transgenic and he's willing to give you an acre or two, depending on what you need. You gotta have your own transport though." 

"We'll take that." 

He brought the phone back up to his ear. "Yeah, they'll take it... I think they want to get in immediately... Yeah, yeah okay... All right. Bye." 

"I take it that was good news." 

Clemente nodded and put his phone away. "You can go up as soon as you want." 

He scribbled some directions down on a piece of paper that had seen better days and handed it to Max. "You're all set." 

"Thanks." She said, then she and the others walked back to the building. Alec went to collect everyone and she and Joshua stayed outside the building. 

"I can't go." Joshua said finally. "I can't. All - All I can think about is Annie." 

"I understand." Max said quietly. 

He nodded sadly and walked away. It didn't take long for all the transgenics who would be coming to pile out and stand in front of the building with Max, and it didn't take Mole long to pull the food delivery truck around. Some of the transgenics looked squeamish, and Max wasn't sure if it was because they were about to share a closed space with a dead body or that their next food shipment would be where some dead bodies had been. For a moment she considered telling them that the food was in crates and wouldn't actually be touching where the bodies had been, but decided against it. She knew they'd get over it, that's how they were made. 

She watched as everyone piled into the truck, and was just about to get on herself, but she stopped. Visions of Eva, Jack, Ben, and Tinga filled her mind. She went through the moments just before their deaths, to their deaths, and to the moments after. She found herself unable to climb the rest of the way into the truck. 

She turned to Alec and told him, "Make sure it's nice." Then closed the back of the truck and yelled for Mole to go on. She watched them drive off, then felt Joshua behind her. 

"Too hard." He said sadly. 

"Yeah." She answered in an equally sad voice. 

* * * * 

Logan handed Max a cup of tea then craned his neck to look up at the moon. They sat like that for a while, both of them just sipping their tea and staring at the moon, and both were content to keep it that way, but if it changed so be it. 

"I've never had a problem with it before." She spoke finally. "With death. I dealt with enough of it, hell - _I_ died. But something this time is different." 

"This is the first time you haven't put on a soldier mask." Logan said. "For the first time you're really dealing with it as yourself." 

She thought this over and realized he was right. When it had been Jack, she had been curious, but she had also been at Manticore and didn't know what to think. When it had been Eva, it was time to escape and evade and be a brave little soldier about it and get out of there. When it was Ben, she had convinced herself that he was a nomlie and she was a soldier again, putting on a brave front and being strong; and she didn't want to tell herself that she had killed him. When it had been Tinga, she for the first time took off the mask and grieved - just a little. The mask was quickly thrown on when she went after Deck. 

She shook her head, trying to push away the memories. She realized that she had never had time to grieve for any of them. She had to move to the next moment and get on with it, but this time... this time she had more than enough time to really and truly grieve without the mask. It was clear to her now why she pushed the grieving process away those times before: it sucked. 

She took another sip of tea and turned to Logan. "Does it always feel this bad?" 

"Pretty much." He told her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But it gets better eventually." 

"Promise?" 

"I promise." 


	19. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN The Plot Thickens, Yes?

Ebel carefully laid the last transgenic over another, forming an X. He straightened and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, causing a streak of blood to wipe from his hand and onto his face, then turned to West. 

"All set." 

West smiled down at the three Xs they had made. "Looks great, doesn't it?" 

"It'll look even better when we lay 452 and Cale right in front of the damn gates." Hunt sneered as he lit another cigarette. 

"Don't get ahead of yourself." West warned. "We still have to do a lot more here and the conclave wants her alive for now." 

Hunt was about to say something, but stopped. He spun quickly on his heels and saw a horrified transgenic trying to hide in an alley. "Look!" 

The others whirled around and saw the girl. It was then that Hunt saw it was the blonde from earlier. He held up his hand to stop the others and took off after her. He followed her over the alley wall and managed to catch up with her. He grabbed her by the elbow and turned her to face him, then formed a fist and punched her hard in the face. 

She flew to the ground from the force of the impact. She slowly pulled herself to her knees and looked at the man before her, wondering how he could hit so hard. Before she could get fully to her feet, he jumped up and kicked her down again. 

"I wanted this to last." He hissed and gathered her head in his hands. "But I've got places to be." 

She began struggling, but to no avail. He snapped her neck with such force that for a moment he wondered if he might've ripped her head off. He dropped her body and looked around for any other witnesses, then made his way back to the others. 

"I took care of it." He told them. 

"All right, lets get back inside." West said and they all walked back to the building they were hiding in. 

* * * 

Max raked her hands through her hair as she paced around her office. She kept shaking her head and muttering things to herself, which worried everyone in the room. She didn't go down to see the bodies this time, not wanting to see anymore faces she recognized. 

Finally she managed to get ahold of herself. She took a deep breath and turned to Mole and Alec. "Go and tell everyone what happened and start up a night watch. Make sure they patrol every night in groups of three. Go." 

"Got it." Mole nodded then he and Alec left. 

She turned to Aaron. "Anything?" 

"I haven't figured it out yet." He told her, obviously angry at himself for not knowing. "Damn 3%." 

"It's okay." Max told him. "Without you we'd be pretty lost by now, so don't be so hard on yourself." 

He shook his head. "I was built to _know_, and I don't. This is my _job_. I should've solved this in two seconds and their blood should have started staining the pavement by now. I'm failing." 

"As long as you're trying, you're not failing." 

He shrugged off her words, feeling that though they may be true, they didn't help him any. He sighed and walked to the door. Before walking out, he mumbled to her, "I need to think." 

* * * 

"Shut up! I said shut up!" 

Mole looked at the struggling Alec, then picked up his shotgun and fired a shot into the ceiling. The crowd around them grew silent and he turned to Alec. "Proceed." 

Alec turned back to the crowd. "You've already heard about the second group of murders, so I won't bother going through that again. I - I don't want to talk about it." 

He paused, trying to push the image of the three human Xs from his mind, then cleared his throat and went on. "Max has asked Mole and I to start up a night watch type deal. We'll need volunteers to patrol the streets of the City at night, in groups of three. If you're interested... I dunno. I guess just -" 

He stopped and looked around the room. He spotted a piece of paper on the ground and got down from the table he was standing on to get it. He smoothed it out then jumped back on the table and showed the paper to them. "Just sign this paper. Put your name on here, and then you'll be put into groups." 

"What about guns?" Someone yelled out. 

"Uh... Mole?" Alec looked at him. 

"I suppose I could get a handgun a group." He grumbled. 

"All right, it's settled then." Alec said. "Just throw your name on this paper if you wanna help out." 

He jumped down from the table and put the list where he had been standing. He stood next to Mole and watched as most of the transgenics went to sign the paper. Mole turned to Alec. 

"We're gonna need more paper." 

* * * 

Aaron sighed and sat on the edge of the roof. He kicked the building with the heels of his feet in tune with a pre-Pulse song that was playing in his head. He stared down at the police and protestors as he normally did, not sure why it brought him a sense of calm. 

He wondered if one of the anti-transgenic protestors could be behind it. A lot of them still seemed to hate transgenics enough to kill them in cold blood, but... how could they even take on a transgenic? He thought it was a group effort but a transgenic would certainly be able to escape - and probably defeat - a group of ordinaries. 

Unless it was a transgenic that finally cracked and was taking things out on his or her brothers and sisters. The X pattern would make sense if that was the case, but why kill so many at one time? 

He ruled out the transgenic case and wondered what other group it could be. Then it hit him. He remembered one of Max's stories... one of the reasons that they were all in Terminal City in the first place. 

He immediately pulled himself to his feet and ran as fast as he could back through the building and to Max's office. He peeled into the room and grabbed Max by the arms and shook her excitedly. 

"I figured it out! I know who it is!" 

She pushed him away, not so eager to be shaken like a rag doll. "We were actually talking about it here and -" 

"The cult!" He blurted out, interrupting her. "They're the only ones that hate the transgenics enough to start killing them, and the X pattern! The X pattern is just their way of sending us a message. The bodies that make the Xs are weak and battered, how they think transgenics are all the time! It all makes sense." 

Max nodded slowly. "That's what we were thinking, though we didn't quite reach the X pattern theory yet." 

Alec and Mole walked into the room then and Alec handed Max five or six papers full of names. "Got a lot of volunteers." 

"Are they set into groups?" She asked. 

He nodded and pointed to the blocks drawn around every group of three names. "I put your name on too." 

"Good, is yours on there too?" She said absentmindedly as she flipped through the list. "'Cause we'll need people who're experianced against the cult loonies." 

"Well I - the cult? It's the cult?" 

Aaron nodded and Alec paled just a little. He chuckled nervously. "Great." 


	20. CHAPTER NINETEEN An Army Marches

Chavez looked out the window and watched another group of transgenics walk by. He shook his head and looked at the others. "There are too many of them out there." 

"We should've known they'd mobilize." Batise said, frustrated. 

"We did know they'd get up eventually, but we didn't think this soon." West sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "What are we going to do?" 

"You're the one that's in charge." Ebel muttered. 

"I say we start the invasion." Hunt said and put out his cigarette with his thumb. "I say we call the conclave and get them to send them all in. The scum will be suspecting more murders, not a full invasion." 

West shook his head. "Not now. They're too unified. We'll wait a little while until their guard is down, then we'll kill another batch and call for the invasion while they're still shocked." 

* * * 

Max walked down the empty street, followed closely by Joshua and Aaron. She looked through every window and into every alley she could find, but so far had not seen a thing, not even a rat. 

"I don't think they'll be out tonight." Aaron said. "They've most likely seen a group or two and have figured out what's going on." 

"Maybe so, but I'm not gonna stop." Max said and peered into a window. 

"Joshua, do you smell anything unusual?" Aaron asked. 

Joshua shook his head. "No cult loonies." 

Feeling a bit defeated, Max pulled out her walkie talkie and spoke into it. "Logan, do you see anything?" 

Logan and Aaron had set up a satellite to look over Terminal City and record the body temperature of every being inside. Transgenics' body temperatures were a few degrees higher than ordinary people, so it was easy to determine who was inside the City. 

A minute or so later, Logan's voice came from the walkie talkie. _"Nothing."_

Max sighed. "Are you sure?" 

_"The only non-transgenic temperature I'm getting is right behind you, which is Aaron."_

She ran a hand through her hair. "Thanks." She switched frequencies and spoke again. "Alec? Mole? Luke?" 

_"I'm here."_ Alec's voice came from the walkie talkie. 

"Anything?" She asked. 

_"Nothing."_ He replied. _"Do you think they left?"_

"No." She sighed. "Just keep looking." 

_"Will do."_

Her frown deepened as she put the walkie talkie away. She shoved her hands in her pockets and her walking slowed as she began dragging her feet. 

"What's wrong, lil fella?" Joshua asked. 

She looked up at him and decided not to tell him her fears that she would let everyone down and everyone she cared about would be killed because she had failed. She managed a weak smile. "I just want to catch them." 

Mole's voice came back through the walkie talkie. _"Can your geniusboy to do something?"_

Max tossed the walkie talkie to Aaron and Aaron sighed and spoke into it. 

"I'm not psychic. I don't see the future." 

_"Well why the hell not?"_

"All I can do is work with statistics and situa - no. I just can't." 

_"Can you start?"_

"No." 

Mole sighed on the other line and the walkie talkie went to static. Immediately after, Logan's voice came over the walkie talkie. 

_"I got something."_

Aaron brought the walkie talkie up to his mouth, but before he could answer, Max snatched it out of his hands. "What've you got?" 

_"Some non-transgenic temperatures showed up, but they're not exactly human either."_

"What do ya mean?" She asked. 

_"They're a few degrees **below** ordinary temperatures."_

"Where?" 

_"Next street over from where you are, number seventeen."_

"We're on it." 

_"Be careful."_

"Always." She replied, then turned off the walkie talkie and put it back in her pocket. She turned to Joshua and Aaron. "Let's go." 

* * * 

Chavez's eyes widened as he looked out the window, watching as the group approached. He shook his head in disbelief as they approached the front door, then turned and went to the others. 

"452 and the man of Voltaire are coming." He told them. "They're coming inside." 

"They found us?" Batise asked in disbelief. 

"We shouldn't have waited." Hunt said as he raked a hand through his hair. 

"It's only three of them." West said more calmly than he felt. He pulled out his cellphone and quickly dialed a number. "We've been exposed ... Yeah, send them in." 

"Okay, so what're we gonna do now?" Ebel asked. 

"We get out of here." West told him. "And we wait." 

They quickly gathered their things and quickly made their way to the fire escape. Ebel shut the window behind them then joined the others in the street. 

Max kicked the door down and rushed into the apartment, Joshua and Aaron closely following. They split up and searched the whole apartment, and came back to the living room. 

"Anything?" Max asked. 

"Nothing." Aaron answered, and Joshua shook his head. 

Max pulled the walkie talkie from her pocket. "Logan, where are they?" 

_"It looks like they're moving. They're down the street... they've split up. They're everywhere."_

"Do me a favor and send a message to everyone, will you?" 

_"I'm on it."_

Max turned to Joshua and Aaron. "Let's go." 

They left the apartment quickly and stepped onto the street, looking wildly around for them. Mole and Alec came running down the street toward them and stopped when they reached them, both obviously out of breath. 

"What's wrong?" Max asked. "What happened?" 

"Luke went off with another group to check something out and we came here." Alec panted. "We were seventeen blocks away." 

Max put the walkie talkie to her mouth and spoke into it. "Logan, you gotta stay with me now. Where are they?" 

_"One of them is a block away and going fast. Go left and take a right, he should be there."_

Max looked at the others, then took off. She didn't look back as she ran, knowing the others would be right behind her. She made the first left she found, and ran further along until she reached the right. She continued running down the street until she heard Joshua scream. 

"There!" 

And indeed, there was one of them. Ebel had stopped running for some reason, but as soon as he saw the small group of transgenics, he quickly started up again. They all took off after him, Joshua managing to stay in the lead. He rushed forward and managed to catch up with Ebel. He grabbed the back of the man's jacket and pulled him roughly backward, causing him to fly to the ground. Instead of waiting for the others, Joshua snarled and grabbed the man's head. 

"Hunt! West! Oh Jesus! Bat -" 

Joshua dropped the man and straightened up. When the others reached them, they looked from the dead man to Joshua. And that time, Max didn't care. 

"Sorry." Joshua mumbled and stepped away from the dead man. "I - I -" 

"It doesn't matter." Max said calmly. "It's war now." 

_"This is Grant. We got one."_

Mole picked up his walkie talkie and spoke into it. "Did you -" 

_"He's very, very dead."_

"Good job." He said then shoved the walkie talkie back in his pocket. 

Max looked at the others. "According to Logan, that means there's two left." 

"Where the hell are they?" Mole asked. 

Max spoke into the walkie talkie. "Logan, where're the other two?" 

_"I'm having a problem getting the signal, hold on."_ There was a pause. _"They're approaching the edge of the City."_

"Bastards're trying to escape." Mole sneered. 

"Well then, let's go." Max said. 

* * * 

West ran a hand through his hair and looked around wildly. "They're not here. They're not here, dammit!" 

"They'll come." Hunt said calmly and lit another cigarette. 

West stared at him a minute, then formed a fist and punched him in the face. Hunt looked down at his cigarette, which had fallen onto the ground, then looked at West and shook his head. 

"You can punch me, kick me, attempt to murder me... but _never_ touch my tobacco." 

West dropped into a fighting stance, as did Hunt. They circled each other twice, then Hunt moved forward and tried to kick West, but West blocked it and managed to punch Hunt. Hunt quickly recovered and drove a fist in West's stomach. West grabbed Hunt by the arms, but before he could do anything, a fleet of cars appeared before them. The men quickly separated and looked out at the cars. 

One by one the car doors opened and four Familiars poured from every car. Without pause they all got in line and marched to West and Hunt, who managed to stay ahead of the crowd and lead them forward. 

Max turned the corner first and froze in her tracks. All she could see was an army of Familiars marching toward her. She quickly turned around and told the others what was happening. They started running as fast as they could to the main building, Max managing to pull out her walkie talkie in the process. 

"Logan, tell everyone to get back to the main building, **now**!" 


	21. CHAPTER TWENTY War And Part One

Max pushed her way through the crowd of transgenics and raised her hands, immediately shutting them all up. 

"There's an army of about three hundred -" 

"And ten." Aaron added. 

"Three hundred and ten Familiars marching this way." Max told them all. "That makes us practically even. We've got to mobilize _now_ if we want to take them out. Stay in your groups and make sure your gun is loaded, they don't go down easy." 

She turned to Mole and told him quietly, "We need everyone. Go inside and get any stragglers." 

He nodded and rushed off, and she turned her attention back to the crowd. "This is war, people. This is what we were made for. Let's win this thing!" 

The transgenics all cheered and Max raised her hands to silence them again. "Everyone, fall into an ambush position and wait until the moment is right for you. We don't want transgenic casualties. Go in strong and don't let up." 

Mole came back out of the building, fifty or so transgenics, and Logan, following him. They joined the group and Max gave them the signal, causing the six hundred and fifty or so transgenics to move out. 

"What're we doing?" Alec asked. 

Max turned to her 'inner circle' and said, "Fighting for our lives." 

* * * 

West signaled for the Familiar army to stop and they all froze in place. 

"They're going to fight back." He told them. "But don't let up." 

"Brother!" All the Familiars barked at once. 

"They're going to be more disorganized than we are, and they're weaker." West continued. "Use all of that to your advantage, and don't forget what the conclave has taught you." 

"Brother!" They exclaimed again. 

West looked at Hunt, obviously wondering if he had anything to add. 

"Leave 452 and Cale for me." Hunt sneered. 

"Right." West said. "Now, split up!" 

The Familiars began breaking up into pairs and rushing off into Terminal City. 

* * * 

"Max! What's going on in there?" 

Max turned to the fence, where Clemente was standing and talking through a bullhorn. She shook her head and yelled back to him, "We're taking care of our own!" 

"Let me help you!" 

"You can't!" She yelled back, then she and the others rushed off. 

* * * 

One pair of Familiars kicked down the door of a house and found a group of unarmed transgenics. They dropped into a fighting stance, as did the transgenics. The first bent down and the second rolled over his back and kicked the first transgenic down. The second then moved forward and took care of the second. They quickly snapped their necks and moved on to the last, an X7. The first grabbed the boy's neck and jerked wildly, killing him. He dropped the body and they both jumped out the window and landed on the street, where another group of transgenics was waiting. 

The transgenics didn't wait, they all rushed at the Familiars together and began attacking them. After a few minutes, the Familiars managed to shake them off and the first grabbed the only female transgenic and lifted her into the air by the neck. He felt a sharp kick to his kidneys and turned around quickly, not dropping the girl. He came face to face with the barrel of a gun and that was the last thing he remembered. His body dropped to the ground and the girl got to her feet, then she and the other male rushed at the second Familiar. 

They jumped onto him, taking him to the ground and the second transgenic boy quickly put a gun to the Familiar's temple and shot. The two transgenics climbed off the Familiar and they all looked at each other and smiled, then ran off. 

* * * 

Alec jumped into the air and kicked a Familiar in the chest, causing him to fall backward into Mole, who quickly raised his gun and shot the Familiar in the back of the head. He let the man drop then moved onto another. 

Alec felt two muscular arms wrap around his neck and knew it wouldn't be good. He kicked back, but the Familiar didn't let go. The Familiar kept his hold and flipped Alec over his head and into a pile of garbage cans. Alec got up and picked up a garbage can, then ran at the Familiar and slammed him in the face with it twice before the Familiar ripped it out of his hands and tossed it aside. Wasting no time, Alec pulled out his gun and shot the Familiar in the forehead, then moved as the Familiar dropped to the ground where he had been standing. 

He moved down the street where another Familiar was easily beating a small X7. He kicked the Familiar away and told the boy to run. He then shook his head and kicked the Familiar again, saying, "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size? I mean, how small is your equipment that you have to pick on little kids?" 

The Familiar punched Alec, causing him to fly two feet backward. Alec got up, rubbing his jaw. "That small, huh?" 

The Familiar moved to punch Alec again, but Alec ducked and drove a fist into the man's gut. He did it again, then dropped to the ground and kicked the Familiar's feet from underneath him. He pulled out his gun again and quickly shot before the Familiar could get up. 

* * * 

Aaron flattened himself against the wall of a building and waited. He counted to ten, then jumped out and punched the Familiar that stood before him. He did it again, then kicked the Familiar in the stomach. The Familiar grabbed him by the arms and tossed him into the front door of a nearby building. He crashed right through and skidded to a stop all the way across the room. 

The Familiar then leaped into the room and punched Aaron. He stopped, as if recognizing Aaron, then turned him onto his back and looked at his neck. He straightened up. "You're not a kill. You're a capture." 

"But I'm a kill." 

Before the Familiar could turn to see who the voice belonged to, a shot rang out and he slumped to the floor. Aaron heard someone walk toward him, then he felt the weight of the Familiar pulled off him. He sat up, ready to thank whoever that was, but all he saw was a blur rush out the door. He shook his head and went back to the street, where he quickly found another Familiar ready to take him on. 

Aaron jumped into the air and locked his legs around the Familiar's neck and spun, causing the Familiar to lift up off the ground, then slam back down. Aaron fell to the ground as well, but quickly pulled out his gun. He aimed and was about to pull the trigger when another Familiar kicked the gun from his hand. 

The second Familiar grabbed Aaron's wrist and flung him like a rag doll into the stairs of a nearby building, then helped the first Familiar up and they both approached him. Quickly Aaron punched the rail of the stairs as hard as he could in just the right spot, causing a piece of the metal to fall off. He quickly grabbed the metal and lunged at the Familiars, striking out madly. 

He managed to push past them and grab his gun, then rushed at the first Familiar and jumped on his back. He quickly pressed the gun to the back of the man's head and shot, then jumped off and did the same to the other. He looked at them, then wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and ran off. 

* * * 

Max saw the Familiar diving at her and quickly reached for a large shard of glass that was nearby. The Familiar jumped down on top of her and she quickly plunged the shard of glass into his stomach and twisted it. The Familiar wheezed as Max did it again, then again. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and Max pushed the literal dead weight off herself. 

She pulled herself to her feet and turned just in time to see another Familiar rushing at her. Feeling the glass in her hand, she waited until the Familiar was close enough, then stuck out her hand. The glass embedded itself deep in the Familiar's neck and he staggered backward, wildly reaching for the glass. He managed to pull it from his neck, a spring of blood spurting from his neck. But he did not stop. He took a few more staggering paces toward Max before finally falling to the ground, the blood from his neck still spraying. 

Max shook her head and moved along the street, looking for any Familiars. She did not find any, but one found her. He jumped out from an alley, causing both of them to tumble to the ground and roll a few feet. She kicked out, causing the Familiar to fly over her head and land a foot away. She quickly got to her feet, as did the Familiar. They both ran forward at the same time, but Max managed to dodge his attacks and clothesline him. She heard a gunshot and saw a trickle of blood ooze from the Familiar's head. She looked to where the shot had come from and saw Logan. He nodded at her then ran off down the street. 

She turned and was about to continue on when another Familiar came at her, brandishing a pipe. He struck her across the face, causing her to fly back onto the body of the dead Familiar. She felt her face gently and brought her hand down so she could see: there was blood on it. 

"Okay, now I'm pissed." She said and quickly got up. She rushed at the Familiar and kicked the pipe from his hands. She punched him then when he swung the pipe at her again, she grabbed his hand and twisted it, causing it to break and the pipe to fall. She dodged his good fist and bent down to pick up the pipe. She swung it hard against his knee and he fell over, though he did not make a sound. 

He looked up at her and she just reached down and snapped his neck. She kept a tight grip on the pipe that had spots of her own blood on it and moved down the street, where another Familiar was waiting for her. 

"452." The Familiar nodded. 

"Please." Max said and rolled her eyes. She rushed at him and swung the pipe, but he quickly disarmed her and grabbed her arm, bringing it around her back. With his free hand he grabbed her other arm and held it tightly. 

He grinned and turned to another Familiar who was hiding in an alleyway. "Get Hunt down here." 


	22. CHAPTER TWENTYONE War And Part Two

Max tried to break away from the Familiar, but he tightened his grip each time she did and she knew that if she did it once more he would end up breaking both her arms, so she stopped struggling and began wondering who Hunt was. She saw another Familiar approaching, dragging a barely breathing Aaron behind him, then another holding Logan much like she was being held and pushing him along. 

"Couldn't get the other one." The Familiar holding Logan said. "He ran off." 

"Doesn't matter." The Familiar holding Max told him. "We've got what he wants right here." 

Max and Logan looked at each other, both trying to silently ask the other what was going on. The Familiars caught their looks and, worried that they were communicating somehow, turned them away from each other and faced them down the street where Hunt would no doubtedly be coming from. 

Sure enough, a small group of Familiars led by Hunt came striding down the street. Hunt walked over to the Familiar holding Logan and wrenched him out of his grasp. He smiled wickedly at Logan then pushed him to the ground. He pulled out a gun and held it to the back of Logan's head, then looked at Max, the smile still on his face. 

"I thought killing that rodent White was fun, but this is just the best day ever." 

"Go to hell." Max said through clenched teeth. 

"Ya know," Hunt smiled and cocked the gun. "I think I'll just get a post card from your boy here." 

Max tried again to get away from the Familiar holding her, and just as she feared one of her arms broke with a sickening snap. Hunt glared at the Familiar holding her and the Familiar pushed her to the ground as well. 

"We can't have you too terribly damaged, 452." Hunt said. "We need that body of yours." 

"For what?" 

"If I told you, it wouldn't be fun later on." Hunt said, then turned his attention back to Logan. "Now I've got work to do, excuse me." 

Before he could pull the trigger, a window of the closest building broke and a giant figure landed along with the shower of glass. Joshua. He growled and Hunt turned to look at him, giving Logan a chance to grab his wrist. Hunt turned back and began wrestling with Logan for the gun, but Joshua went forward and grabbed Hunt around the middle and began squeezing him like he was a giant human stress ball. Hunt dropped the gun and Logan quickly picked it up and shot the Familiar that was holding Max. 

He released her and looked at his chest and the blood quickly soaking through his shirt. Max grabbed the forgotten pipe and slammed him over the head with it, then when he still didn't fall, she swung and hit him in the face then kicked him to the ground. The other Familiars began advancing on Max and Logan, and they looked at each other. Logan shook his head when Max looked at the gun, then threw the useless weapon aside. Max tightened her grip on the pipe, hoping it would be enough. 

The biggest Familiar was about to move in on them, when a roar of screams erupted behind them. All the Familiars turned around to look and Max and Logan moved over to Aaron and pulled him out of the way of the stampeding mob of transgenics led by Mole and Alec. 

The mob moved in quickly, knocking all of the Familiars to the ground. The Familiars managed to get up again quickly, but they were no match for the fifty or so transgenics that surrounded them. The transgenics were silent for a moment, then a collective battle cry rang out and they all piled on top of the Familiars. 

Max and Logan looked on, quite amazed. It didn't take long before the transgenics separated and moved away from the battered and lifeless bodies of the Familiars. They all looked at each other, blood smeared on most of them, then turned to look at Max. She looked at Logan, then stood up and smiled at all of them. 

"We won." She announced to them quietly as she looked around at the lifeless bodies of the Familiars. 

* * * 

Clemente turned to his men and was just about to order them inside Terminal City when one of them pointed forward and yelled, "Look!" 

He turned and saw a bruised and bloodied Max leading the army of transgenics toward the gates. She lifted her hand and they all halted behind her, but she kept walking. She walked up to the gate and said to him, "I told you we'd take care of it." 

"What happened in there?" Clemente asked her. 

Max smiled proudly. "We finally did what we were made to do. We kicked ass." 

Without another word, she turned around and walked back to the rest of the transgenics. She looked at them all proudly and told them, "We won. I won't say it was easy, because it wasn't and we lost a lot of good people today, but we did win. We showed them that they can't just come in here and push us around, because we kick ass." 

The transgenics stood quietly for a moment, some remembering the battle and others just being glad to be alive, then someone yelled something out, then they all began to cheer. 

* * * * 

Two weeks later, most of the transgenics stood at their burial site, looking at the hundred or so new graves and sadly shaking their heads. Most had clumped around their friend's graves and stayed in that same spot, but Max was moving around to every single one and leaving a flower. 

She reached Orion's grave, where Aaron was standing. She put a flower down then stood quietly next to him. He hadn't said much since the fight and didn't seem eager to start any time soon. Max didn't want to push him, so she took a step back, ready to move on to the next. 

"I was so close." 

"What?" She asked quietly and moved back to stand next to him. 

Aaron continued looking down at the grave. "I was so close to having a friend... to being loyal, to being everything that I wasn't made for." 

"You can still be that." 

Aaron shook his head. "No. I only had the one chance. Now I've got to go back to being the man of Voltaire, the man _built to know_." 

"You don't have to." She said gently and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can still make friends and all that. And - and you are loyal." 

He turned to look at her, his expression one of confusion. 

"Aaron, you didn't have to help us." Max told him. "But you did. You stuck by us and fought and nearly died, just because you wanted to. If that isn't loyalty then I don't know what is." 

"I suppose you're right." 

"And you're my friend." She told him. "At least I think so anyway. You helped me when you didn't have to and you didn't want anything from me." 

Aaron smiled the smallest of smiles. "I guess I was so wrapped up in what I _thought_ I was, I didn't really see what I _am_." 

"So, what are you going to do now?" 

"I'm going to stop answering questions." He told her. "I'm going to go out and make a life for myself - the kind of life _I_ want." 

"You can do that here, you know." She smiled. 

He shook his head. "I'd like to go somewhere where no one knows I was made to be a human computer. I could start over there." 

"I know how that feels." She said somewhat sadly. "When are you going?" 

"Now I think." He said. 

"_Right_ now? After -" 

"There is no time like the present." He interrupted softly. 

"We'll miss you, you know." She told him. "A lot." 

"I think I will miss you all too." He told her, then brought her in for a hug. When they separated, he smiled warmly at her. "Thank you." 

Max grinned back. "I got my hug." 

Aaron's smile widened and he took a few steps back, then turned and began walking away. Max watched him go the entire length of the transgenic cemetary, then disappear into the surrounding woods. Her enhanced vision only helped her see him for a little while more before he disappeared from her sight. She wondered where he would go and what he would do, then turned and walked away herself, to finish putting down the flowers. 

* * * 

"Some pudknocker's in the way." 

Max, pulled from her thoughts, looked out the window and sighed. A man in a suit was blocking the truck's entry of Terminal City. She mumbled that she would handle it, then pushed open the door and hopped out of the cab. 

"Can I help you?" She sighed. 

"I'm Roger Strum." The man told her pleasantly. 

"How very nice for you." Max said. "Roger Strum, I suggest you move before the nice lizard man in the big truck runs you over." 

"Yes, that's very nice." Roger said, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Max. "Be there at 5pm sharp and we'll discuss your inheritance." 

Max looked at the piece of paper then back at Roger, but he had already walked back to his car. She shrugged then moved to open the gates so Mole could drive through. 

* * * 

Max sat in her office, her feet propped up on her desk. She handed the paper to Logan, who was leaning against the desk. 

"And he said he wanted to talk about your inheritance?" He asked. 

"Yeah, and that's the thing." She said. "I don't exactly have a rich uncle here." 

"Do you wanna check it out?" He asked. 

"How could I not?" 


	23. CHAPTER TWENTYTWO Peace

Max and Logan got off the motorcycle, and Max took off her glasses. They both stared up at the mansion before them, totally awestruck. The mansion was old and made of brick, and only slightly smaller than all of Terminal City. An elaborate marble fountain stood on the front lawn, a cherub perched on top pointed the way to the path that led to the front door. 

They made their way to the front door and looked at each other. Max shrugged and rang the doorbell. It took a few minutes for the door to open, but when it did Roger Strum was there smiling at them. His face fell a bit when he saw Logan. 

"I suppose I wasn't clear." He sighed. "I wanted you to come alone." 

"Okay, well, let's go." Max said and nudged Logan forward. They were halfway down the stairs before Roger appeared on the porch. 

"Wait! Wait! You can _both_ come in!" 

They turned and walked back to the house. Roger smiled at them and ushered them inside and into a living room that looked like it didn't see much living at all. He gestured to a small white couch and they sat down. He moved around the glass coffee table and sat in a very uncomfortable looking white chair across from them. 

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here." 

"Well, yeah." Max said. "I don't exactly get invited to mansions everyday. I'm sure you've seen me on the news." 

"I have actually, and so did my former employer." Roger told her. "In fact, that's why you're here." 

He pointed to a portrait of an old man on the wall; he was bald and had a few unsightly liver spots, but had a kind face. Roger then drew their attention back to himself. 

"That is Mr. Herald Lawrence." Roger told them. "His family had made millions in the oil industry." 

"Well, that's nice for him." Max said. "But what's he got to do with me?" 

"Well, Mr. Lawrence's childhood was full of discrimination and in much of his adult life he saw more. He always took pity on those who were less fortunate than himself and had an especially large soft spot for those facing adversity." 

"Go on." Max mumbled. 

"Well, he donated much of his money to various charities and organizations that helped those he felt sorry for, but he confided in me that he would like to help a group of people that would most likely receive no help from anyone, ever." Roger told them. "And when he found out about the transgenics, and you, he realized that he had found that group he had been looking for. He knew that because of the stigma surrounding the transgenics, no one would ever help you outright and he knew he wanted to step in." 

He took a breath and brought out a suitcase. He pulled a pile of papers out and pushed them over to Max. "Before Mr. Lawrence passed on, he requested me to donate most of his money to the charities and organizations he had been supporting before, but to save a chunk of money for the transgenics. I have saved that chunk and know that you are the leader of sorts of the transgenics, so I have brought you here." 

Max looked over the papers, then looked at Roger. "But why didn't he leave it to his family?" 

Roger saddened. "Mr. Lawrence's wife passed on much before her time and he never remarried, and never had children. He was the last Lawrence and had no family to give his money to." 

"So he left us like, what, a grand?" Max asked. 

"Not exactly." Roger said. "He left you personally two million dollars and this mansion, and to the well being of the other transgenics he left five million." 

Max's eye began to twitch and her hand began to shake. "Two - two - two... two... five... five... two... five... mi - m - m - million... dol - dollars?" 

"Yes." Roger nodded then pointed to a place on the papers. "If you sign there, everything will be turned over to you at once." 

Max accepted the pen Roger gave her and signed her name on the paper. Roger smiled and put everything in his briefcase. 

"I'll send you a copy of the papers." He told her. "Until then... live well." 

Max nodded slowly, still unable to process what was going on. She knew Roger had left, but she wasn't sure of much else. Finally she turned to Logan, still stuttering about the money. It appeared as though she had calmed herself, but then she let out a high-pitched scream and launched herself onto Logan and kissed him. 

* * * 

"What?" 

"You heard me." 

"What?" 

"Alec, I'm not telling you again." 

"What?" 

Max rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as Alec wrapped his mind around the thought. Once he had, he wrapped his arm around Max's shoulders and gave her what he considered a winning smile. 

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" 

"Oh God." She muttered and shrugged him off. 

"What're you gonna do with the money?" Joshua asked. 

"Well, I dunno." She told him honestly. "I haven't thought about it really. I suppose I'll get way more supplies first, and maybe a new set of clothes for everybody." 

"You could put in a swimming pool." Alec offered. 

"I'll put in a jacuzzi too." Max nodded. "And get people in here to make TC home-y and nice." 

"And then we'll all move into your mansion." Alec grinned. 

"No." She shook her head. "You do not move into my mansion. I don't even think I'll be moving into my mansion." 

"Come on, Max." He pleaded. "If you've got a mansion, live in it." 

She thought that over. "Ya know, I think I might live in the mansion. You won't, but I will." 

"We need more weapons." Mole said, then grinned broadly. "To keep everyone out of our swimming pool!" 

"Art studio." Joshua said. "Put in a big, big art studio." 

"I can do that." Max told him and clapped him on the back. "But I think first I'll put in a suggestion box. That way everyone can get their ideas in." 

Mole and Alec joined arms and began skipping around in a circle, singing happily, "We're rich, we're rich, we're rich!" 

Dalton appeared in the doorway and looked at Max. "There's another delivery for you." 

Max, followed by everyone, walked out to the gates. She was quite shocked to see Original Cindy delivering the package. She smiled brightly and threw open the gates, then quickly ran over and gave her friend a bear hug. 

"Max, Original Cindy needs to breathe here." 

"Sorry." Max grinned and let her friend go. "So what's up?" 

"I got a package here for Max Guevara and the kids." OC smiled and handed Max the giant envelope. 

"Wanna come in and visit?" Max asked. 

"You know it." OC smiled and followed Max inside. 

When they reached Max's office, everyone had filled in Original Cindy on the money. She shook her head and sat in Max's chair. 

"Damn girl." She said. "What're you gonna do with all those chips?" 

"She's putting in a pool." Alec said. 

"And an art studio." Joshua grinned. 

Max smiled as she tore open the envelope. She spilled the contents on the desk, a pile of envelopes. She found one with her name on it and ripped it open. Her smile widened when she saw it was an invitation to Gary's wedding. 


	24. EPILOGUE 2023

Max sighed and scribbled a few numbers on the paper before her. She pulled her feet up under herself in an order to be more comfortable, but it didn't seem to help much at. She realized it was the stress of the work she was doing, so she sighed again and set the papers and pen down on the coffee table, then grabbed a letter from the mail pile and smiled down at it. She unfolded it again and began reading, knowing that it would cheer her up some. 

_Dear Max, _

Hello! I'm writing from Madagascar. Can you believe it? I hardly can myself. It seems like only yesterday that I first turned away from answering questions and started my journey. So far I've been to Cuba, South America, England, Ireland, Russia, and Italy too. (I hopped a plane after South America to get to England; nice flight.) And now Madagascar. 

And I'm not alone either. I met a backpacker in Ireland named Harry and we became friends, so now we're traveling together. We talk about anything imaginable, even transgenics. We heard about the money you received from Mr. Lawrence (I couldn't explain my smile to Harry I'm afraid) and it was nice to hear him say that you all deserved it. After hearing that I think it'll be much easier to tell him about myself, but I haven't quite decided yet. It's especially complicated now that Audrey and I - Oh! I haven't told you about Audrey. 

Well, Harry and I met her in Italy. Well, met isn't the right word. More like we stopped her from getting mugged. I had to let Harry take the blame because I did use a few, er, unusual moves that might draw attention to myself, but anyway, we all went to a restaurant and she explained that she had came to Italy with her fiancé and a week into their trip he had run off with some woman, taking everything with him except her passport. Harry and I managed to get enough money to bring her here to Madagascar with us and we were going to send her on a plane home, but she and I had grown... close, and now her going is a really dreadful thought. I can just see you smiling and laughing at me now. Mr. Built To Know, smitten. I know, I know. 

Right, well, Audrey and Harry are begging me to go look at some shops with them, so I'll end the letter here. I'm glad that you seem to be happy (at least that's how you seemed in the last broadcast I saw before coming to Madagascar) and, I know I said it once, but once is really not enough when it comes to things like this, so... THANK YOU. 

Sincerely,

Aaron J. Guevara 

PS I hope you don't mind about me using your last name, but I had to tell Harry something. 

She smiled to herself and folded the letter back up and placed it back on the coffee table. It made her feel good to know that she had helped Aaron get a real life, and really she didn't care at all about the last name. It was actually flattering, and after all wasn't what Orion said about Aaron being family true? Yes, yes it was, she decided. 

At that moment, she heard Logan padding down the stairs and went to the doorway to meet him. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, crossed his arms, and looked at her. "What're you doing down here?" 

She grinned at his Transgenics Kick Ass t-shirt, then leaned against the door frame. "I could be asking you the same question." 

"But that would be redundant." He said. "You obviously know why I'm here." 

"Touché." 

"Yes, my genius wit is still intact." 

"You're getting quite the ego." She arched an eyebrow and walked over to him. 

"You wouldn't have it any other way and you know it." He grinned and brought her into his arms. 

"Yeah, well, if your ego gets any bigger, we're going to need another mansion." 

"Hur hur hur." 

"And _my_ genius wit is still intact." She grinned. 

He wrapped an arm around her waist and they began walking up the stairs together. 

"If your ego gets any bigger we're going to need another mansion." He mocked. 

"You're simply hilarious, _dear_." 

"Yes, I know, thank you, _dear_." 

They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked the rest of the way up the stairs and into the bedroom. 

**The End**

  
  
A/N: Well, there you have it. So, how was it? It was my first good serious DA story (I beg you not to read the older ones, I was just beginning in serious and... no. Just no.) and I myself thought it was pretty good. [/ego] Ideas are swimming all around in my head right now, so we'll just see what pops out now, shall we?  
I'm currently writing some more humor (it feels good to be back) so that'll be out in the world soon. And if another serious-y idea strikes me... well, yay for me. :) 


End file.
